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Sunday 13 August 2017

Sunday Stamps - A-Z; 'B"

Bahrain is a nation of more than 30 islands in the Arabian Gulf.
Bahrain - 17 June 1961
Isa bin Salman Aj Khalifa, the first Emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death in 1999.

I had intended to have one stamp from each of two countries in this A-Z. This soon proved to be a problem when it came to the Belgian Congo as I could not decide which one to choose.

I eventually settled for three from 1947 depicting African Masks and Wood Art.


Belgian Congo - 8 December 1947

A former Belgian Colony from 1908 to 1960, after which it became the Republic of the Congo. Its chequered and sometimes bloody history saw its name change again to Zaire and today it has become the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Well known to British TV fans of the 'Pointless' quiz programme.)

For other 'B' related stamps and not just countries please visit the links at Sunday-Stamps-II-139.

7 comments:

Joy said...

I don't think I've seen any stamps from Bahrain before, I like that one. You could follow a 'Pointless' theme with the Central African Republic next week:-)

VioletSky said...

I didn't realize Bahrain was an archipelago!
It can be challenging to keep track of the name changes in Africa. I liked the name Zaire, but didn't remember that it was the Belgian Congo.
The first wood art stamp looks rather cartoonish (which I'm sure was not the intent).

Heleen said...

Interesting stamps. And indeed Belgian Congo alas has a sad and bloody history.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bob - love the African Masks and Wood Art - the Pointless pointer ... lost me! I've never been to the Bahrain part of the world - I'm sure I'd hate it in many ways, but would love to see it at some stage ... and see some of the pearl islands ... cheers Hilary

FinnBadger said...

Such interesting and unexpected choices for B, thanks for sharing.

Jo said...

those masks always look a bit spooky to me. The Bahrain emir makes me immediately think of Omar Sharif - silly I know.

Pat Tillett said...

So much turmoil in Africa in those days. They still made some beautiful stamps.