Audhali

AUDHALI

Audhali Clip

Back in 1982 I illustrated on the cover of the sixth issue of my then active Arab World Philatelist, an essay of an imperforate sheet of four   stamps of Audhali, along with a single essay with the same center from Fujeira. On the inside cover was noted, “FRONT COVER - Essay for Audhali (Yemen ?) and Fujeira. Printed by the same group that printed the first Dubai issues.” At the time, my hope was that someone would write and comment about the two items as I knew nothing else about them. My clue that they were done by the “same group” that printed the first stamps of Dubai was tenuous at best. It was based on the fact that the name “ARTHUR” was printed under the frame on the left hand side of the stamp. This same name appears on the Dubai stamps, but not on the issues of any other country.

In 1982 I was not able to find any entity called Audhali in any of my books on the Middle East, nor in any atlas. In retrospect, I don’t remember why I thought it had anything to do with Yemen. As most writers know, you can beg for information to no avail, but put something inaccurate in print and the correct information comes to you immediately, often with some sarcasm attached. Surprisingly, no comments were received, nor any questions asked.

My interest in Arab World stamps stems from both an interest in the area and the fact that I have a Master’s degree in the language. Many people are not aware that when a word is written in a language and alphabet, differing from the original, it can have many varieties in the spelling. A good example is the name Muhammad. It is written in English Mohamed, Muhamed, Muhammad, etc. The Turks write it Mohamet. I knew that the “A” at the beginning of “Audhali” was the definite article “the”, generally written “al” in English. Like French, some letters are liased. In this case the “l” is dropped and the “A” is liased to the following word. Also, the Arabic language has two “D” sounds. Even armed with this knowledge, I was unable to find any political entity or geographic area with a name similar to any of the variations of the spelling I tried. Stranger still, was the fact that there was no Arabic on the Audhali item, other than the value in numeric and script form. Aware of the stamp issuing policy of the area, it certainly crossed my mind that this could be another cinderella issue.

In the late 1970’s when I was producing The Arab World Philatelist, my particular collecting interest was centered on the Gulf States of Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and specifically, Dubai. This was the period when “serious collectors” did not collect such material. While Bahrain was “clean”, Qatar fell from grace for a short period of time when it issued numerous imperfs and overprinted items. Abu Dhabi was special. Its stamp issuing policy was always above board and moderate - having only issued 83 stamps in an eight year period. Eleven of which were new currency surcharges and one a provisional to cover a shortage of one value. Dubai soon had a bad reputation, but cleaned up its act. Unfortuntely, this made no difference and it was lumped together with Ajman, Fujeira, Ras al-Khaima, Sharjah and Umm al-Qiwain, plus the two dependencies of Manama and Khor Fakkan. The APS (American Philatelic Society) and the F.I.P. (Federation Internationale de Philatelie) had previously “black blotted” the material of most of the sheikhdoms and the two dependencies. The Scott Catalog only listed a portion of the issues put out in the name of those sheikhdoms.

Approximately fifteen years later I encountered an Audhali essay in an auction catalog. It was wrongly described as an essay from Abu Dhabi. About the same time, in one of my letters to Michel Stephan, Beirut, Lebanon, I asked if he had anything like the photostat of an Umm al-Qiwain essay I had sent him. In time, I purchased a large selection of essays from him for Ajman, Fujeira and Umm al-Qiwain. Surprisingly, one of the centers was the same as that of the Audhali item mentioned above.

Mr. Stephan had had the first contract to print and sell the stamps of Dubai. He related that he had also had similar contracts for Ajman, Fujeira and Umm al-Qiwain. Due to the large amounts of money needed to pursue these enterprises, he sold the contracts for the three sheikhdoms and only kept that of Dubai. For the last few years my goal has been to finish a catalog on the issues of Dubai, for the period when they issued their own stamps - 1963-1972, and Mr. Stephan and I had been in constant contact by mail, FAX and telephone. About a year after purchasing the above essays, I asked him what he knew about Audali. About a month later when I received his response, he enclosed a press release (Which was never released), a photostat of some essays for Audali and more information in his letter.

He stated that Audali exists as a state in South Arabia and that around 1964 the Charge d’Affairs of the government approached the Baroody Company, of which he was the owner, and expressed a desire that the Baroody Company print and promote the stamps for the state. The company prepared two different images and submitted the essays for approval. Due to unacceptable financial conditions the agreement never reached fulfillment.

The Press Release reads as follows:

"His highness the Governor of Audhali State in South Arabia, fighting for truth and liberty with the National Liberation Front who continues the sacred war in the greater part of the territory of the state, in the mountains and regions of el-Kour, Daleh, Hisham, Mirwahat and Muraydah, deems it highly necessary for the purpose of making known the justice of our national cause and to win the sympathy of public opinion in the world, to publish news of our fight and sacred war in all possible ways and means and notably through the issue of postage stamps for the special use of the nationals of the State to serve primarily for the transport of mail and be a symbol of its independence and the rights of its nationals keeping thus pace with the civilisation of other peoples.

Accordingly, the General Postal Administration in virtue of His Highness’ order, has organised a special program for the issue each year of sets of postage stamps, ordinary and commemorative, for the State of Audhali, independently of other states such as Kathiri, Quaiti and others.

The issues will be reasonable and moderate encouraging rather than
disouraging stamp collecting.

The public will find fuller information on the above in the accompaning postal notice.

Sultan Jaabal Hussein
El-Audhali

Charge d’Affaires of the
Government of Audhali
in South Arabia.
(signed) Muhammad al-Amri"

The essays are generally bi-colored and two different images exist. The first, a horizontal design of a falcon perched on a limb of a tree, is the same image printed on the design of an essay for Fujeira that Mr. Stephan printed. There is a blank oval in the left upper corner for a portrait. Each sheet contains four stamps (2 x 2) with each stamp measuring 50mm x 31mm.

The second, a vertical image of three palm trees in the foreground, with others in the background, is quite attractive and has a value of 5 Rupees. The stamp size is rather large - 37mm x 50mm, and as in the 3 Rupee value, there are four stamps (2 x 2) in each sheet.
The essays were not printed in any other format than those mentioned.

The name of the State is not written in Arabic on either essay. The only Arabic being the values expressed on the right side of each stamp. The left side has the values in English. Rupees were the currency of India and used in most of the Gulf area at the time.

The following essays have been seen but others may exist:

FALCON 3 R Sheets measure 111mm x 143mm
a. Purple center only - gummed white paper
b. Blue center only - gummed white paper
c. Purple frame, name and values with a dark green center - ungummed white paper
d. Purple frame, name and values with a dark green center - gummed white paper
e. Purple frame, name and values with a dark green center - ungummed orange paper
f. Tan frame, name and values with a blue center - gummed white paper
g. Tan frame, name and values with a darker blue center - ungummed greenish paper
h. Orangish-brown frame, name and values with a purple center - gummed white paper
i. Orangish-brown frame, name and values with a purple center - ungummed orange paper

Birds Birds 2

Palms

PALM TREES 5 R Sheets measure 111mm x 143mm
a. Brown frame, no name nor values with a brown center - white gummed paper
b. Brown frame, name and values with a brown center - white gummed paper
c. Brown (darker) frame with a brown shaded center - white gummed paper
d. Brown frame with a green center - white gummed paper
e. Orangish-brown frame, with a dark brown center - gummed white paper
f. Brown (darker) frame, with a brown shaded center with a brown frame, name and values printed over it and shifted 1.5mm up and 7mm right - gummed white paper

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