Philatelic exhibition at Al Ahram building

Organised jointly by the embassies of four Visegrad group countries - Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia -- in collaboration with the Al Ahram Establishment, the exhibition officially opened last Sunday.
Aiming to promote cooperation between Egypt and Visegrad Group countries, the stamps on display present the history, natural beauty, culture and achievements of these four nations.
In a world where the postal delivery of letters are in a major way being replaced by electronic communication, the philatelic exhibition brings back the days when stamps represented an important part of artistic creativity.
Across many countries, stamps were -- and continue to be -- canvasses for a variety of representations characterising the nations issuing them. Not only do they stress the importance of postal services but they also include artwork that talks about the specific country's achievements in different disciplines- from science to sports and culture- while also exploring the countries' fauna and flora, and commemorating important figures and events.
The first known stamp to be used in postal services dates back to the mid-19th century. Soon philatery, also known as 'timbromania' (from the French word 'timbre' for a stamp), became an activity for collectors with many stamps becoming valuable and expensive as the years passed.
Al-Ahram stamps exhibition includes the collection of real size stamps along with representations in a poster size format.
The stamps will be on display until the end of the week.
Al Ahram buidling, 36 El Gala Street, Cairo
Source: Ahram Online