Exhibition dedicated to the history of the UAE’s post pushes the envelope

Visitors under the age of 15 have a lot of questions about the first item at an exhibition dedicated to the country’s postal history.
Although it appears all over the world, they don’t seem to know what it is.
"I tell themit is a mailbox," says Mohammed Yousif, who then demonstrates using a letter with a stamp by sliding it through the opening of the arched metallic red exterior.
"Children are in awe of this."
The Emirates Post employee, who has worked in the postal industry for 42 years, is one person visitors can meet at the exhibition titled Emirates to the World: Postal History from 1909 to Unification, which is running at Etihad Museum in Dubai.
It is the first exhibition hosted by the museum since it opened in January and will run until April 30.
Mr Yousif has set up shop in a replica Emirates Post office in the corner of the exhibition, where he is surrounded by recent local stamps issued by Emirates Post.
They are all for sale, including the latest commemorative Etihad Museum stamps, which sell for Dh3.
"When they come here, the youngest get excited by the stamps, as they notice the details and the art that goes into them," Mr Yousif says. The exhibition also features a series of workshops to introduce children to philately running on February 25 and March 11 from 2pm to 5pm.
The workshops are free, with only a museum entrance fee to be paid.
Youngsters aged 5 to 15 can enjoy what has been called the "hobby of kings", designing their own stamps on postcards and learning about the methods, tools and colours used in stamp design.
They can send what they make anywhere in the world at Mr Yousif’s fully functioning postal stand.
"Participants can produce their very own works of art and share them with friends and family, inspiring them to embrace a stamp collecting hobby," said Abdulla bin Massam Al Falasi, director of Etihad Museum.
While children get creative, adults can take a tour of the exhibition and its rare treasures.
Perusing the collection is like a trip back in time, with each stamp marking important anniversaries, events and figures.
Before 1909, the region’s rulers had their own private murasiloon, Arabic for messengers, who would deliver their letters in person.
There were postmen, or tarish, who would memorise and recite messages, "kaytub" being scribes for the sheikhs and "karani" for ordinary people.
Official postal services started in 1909 in Dubai, as part of those of the British India Empire.
The postal route changed constantly until the unification of the UAE in 1971, dictated by world events and developments in transport, such as the arrival of the airmail service in 1932 through Sharjah airport.
The postal administration overseeing this area reflected the political powers of the time.
With the partitioning of the British Indian Empire into India and Pakistan in 1947, the postal services administration was transferred to Pakistan that same year in August, before postal management moved to British administration in April of 1948.
From 1961 until unification, individual emirates administered their post. Alongside a large map highlighting the different routes, visitors can study intricate reprints of stamps of the steamships and planes that once carried letters to and from the UAE.
There are hundreds of stamps, including stamps of British monarchs, such as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, exotic flowers, insects, animals, mythical characters, the Rulers of the UAE, 35th US president John F Kennedy and the pan-Arab leader, Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nasser.

Source : The National