Fujeira (Fujairah)

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps of Fujeira

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Contents:
Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and is the only Emirate not to have a coastline along the Persian Gulf, with a population of about 150.000 people. It is also the youngest of the Emirates, only becoming independent from Sharjah in 1952. In 1952, Fujairah entered into treaty relations with Britain, becoming the last of the emirates to join the Trucial States. On 2 December 1971, Fujairah joined the United Arab Emirates. [R1]

Between 1964 and 1972, Fujeira issued stamps labeled with the country’s name. Fujeira issued approximately 170 stamps between 1964 and 1967

For stamps issued between 1967 - 1972 Stanley Gibbons (SG) writes: "The following stamps have either been issued in excess of postal needs or have not been available to the public in reasonable quantities at face value. Such stamps may later be given full listing if there is evidence of regular postal use".
SG also notes that "During 1970s a number of other sets came on the market, but their official status is in doubt". [R2]

According to Michel-online catalog, between 1967 and 1972 the small country issued more than 1500 (!) stamps and 200 Mini-Sheets. In its most prolific year, 1972, Fujeira issued about 700 stamps and 200 sheets (!). Fujeira stamps were replaced by issues of UAE on 1 January 1973. [R2]




Official stamps of Fujairah related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals

16.09.1968 "Prehistoric animals" [1] 23.04.1972 "Animals"
Dinosaurs on stamps of Fujeira 1968 Dinosaurs, prehistoric and modern animals on stamps of Fujeira 1972

Notes:
[1] The are two sub-sets: normal stamps on the left side, airmail stamps on the right (stamps with white edge). The stamp labeled "Dimetrodon" is actually a depiction of a related mammal-like reptile "Edaphosaurus".
Images of all dinosaurs on these stamps are taken from "The age of reptiles" mural painted by Rudolf Zallinger for the Great Hall of the Peabody Natural History Museum at Yale University, USA. [R3]
Part of the mural is shown on stamp of USA 1970 and Iraq 2010.

Painted in the Renaissance fresco secco technique, the mural is a work of art that showcases a panorama of the evolutionary history of the earth — from the Devonian Period 362 million years ago to Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago — based on the best scientific knowledge available at the time. The chronology of the mural reads from right to left and spans more than 300 million years, with the large foreground trees marking the boundaries between the geologic periods. [R4]

Covers with postally-used examples of these stamps are exceedingly rare. All such letters known to me are covers cancelled on the day of issue, which were sent to some Philatelic Agencies or Magazines. The pair of covers below are examples sent to a Magazine: Dinosaurs, prehistoric and modern animals on stamps of Fujeira 1972



References:


Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for the draft page review and his very valuable comments.


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