Egypt First Issue, Sphinx and Pyramid

Egypt · 1866 · 5 paras

This is the first postage stamp issued by Egypt, featuring a design with the Great Sphinx of Giza in the foreground and a pyramid in the background. The design is enclosed in an ornate rectangular frame with the denomination in each corner. It was printed by the Pellas Brothers of Genoa, Italy.

Issued under the authority of the Khedive of Egypt, then part of the Ottoman Empire, this stamp marked the establishment of a formal Egyptian postal service, replacing various foreign post offices.