BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
Amid the supposed decline of stamp collection around the world, Qatar places a strong impetus on philately as it formally opens the Arab Postal Stamps Museum which serves as repository of over 32,000 stamps from all over the Arab region.
The Museum, said to be the first of its kind in the region, is strategically located in Katara, the country’s main cultural hub which houses various art and cultural entities and regularly hosts events and activities aimed at promoting the country as a major destination for culture and the arts.
“It is important to show the new generation how history can be documented through stamps,” said QPost Chairman Faleh Al Naemi on the significance of opening the museum, in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula.
“This is a museum which Qatar has the pleasure and honour to host permanently in Doha. We have all the stamps from the Arab League and now we are exhibiting them in Doha for the coming five years,” said Al Naemi at the official launch of the museum on Thursday.
Those with a penchant for philately will have the rare chance to see some unique collections from the 22 Arab League member countries as they walk through the museum.
“The museum has in its custody more than 32,000 stamps from all over the Arab region. On top of that, we have other stamp collections from the rest of the world,” said Al Naemi.
While the earliest in the collection dates back to 1927 from Jordan, the museum collection also encompasses some of the latest issued stamps, he said, adding, “we are in the process of expanding our collection, getting more stamps which date back to 1900s.”
Historically, stamps had been used across the world as a means of clearance of taxes, incomes and fees, until in recent years when stamps are not anymore a way for government collection of money, he explained.
However, there’s a huge number of fans across the globe who are interested and eager to collect stamps, he observed.
Stamp collection, though an old hobby, is still very much alive in the country. The existence of Qatar Philatelic and Numismatic Club which has hundreds of members is a proof to the still growing interest of citizens and expatriates in the art of stamp collection.
“In Qatar we are still using stamps as a means of paying fees for parcels, packages and letters. For us it is a way of documenting our legacy and heritage,” said Al Naemi.
Currently on show at the museum are more than a thousand stamps from Qatar and all over the region but Al Naemi said “the number and display will vary from occasion to occasion because it is a very dynamic museum.”
“We will exhibit national stamps whenever there is a national occasion for Arab countries to show them to the public,” he cited as an example.
“This is the only stamps museum in the region and we will work very closely with Katara to enhance and develop it to be something Qatar will be proud of,” he added.
Located in Building 22, the museum is open to the public during regular opening hours of Katara.
“We are more than happy to welcome the public for them to see what we have and enjoy history,” he said.
