List of Ottoman post offices in Palestine
Encyclopedia
The List of Ottoman post offices in Palestine contains those post offices operated in Palestine during Ottoman rule. The establishment of a new imperial postal system in 1834 and development of the transportation network resulted in vast improvements in the transport and communications systems. International and domestic post offices were operated by the Ottoman administration in almost every large city in Palestine, including Acre, Haifa, Safed, Tiberias, Nablus, Jerusalem, Jaffa, and Gaza.
The Imperial edict of 12 Ramasan 1256 (14 October 1840) led to substantial improvements in the Ottoman postal system and a web of prescribed and regular despatch rider (tatar) routes was instituted. Beginning in 1841, the Beirut-route was extended to serve Palestine, going from Beirut via Damascus and Acre to Jerusalem.
Postal services were organized at the local level by the provincial governors and these leases (posta mültesimi) came up for auction annually in the month of March. It is reported that in 1846 Italian businessmen Santelli and Micciarelli became leaseholders and ran a service from Jerusalem to Ramle, Jaffa, Sûr, and Saida.
By 1852, a weekly service operated from Saida via Sûr, Acre (connection to Beirut), Haifa, and Jaffa to Jerusalem, also serving Nablus beginning in 1856. That same year, two new routes came into operation: Jerusalem–Hebron–Gaza, and Tiberias–Nazareth–Chefa Omer–Acre. In 1867, the Jerusalem-Jaffa route operated twice a week, and beginning in 1884, the Nablus-Jaffa route received daily despatches.
Initially all the postal facilities had the status of relay stations, and letters received their postmarks only at the Beirut
post office. In contradiction to that rule, a small number of markings Djebel Lubnan have been discovered: these are believed by philatelists to have been applied by a relay station at Staura
(Lebanon
). In the 1860s, most relay stations were promoted to the status of branch post offices and received postmarks, initially only negative seals, of their own. The postmarks of an office's postal section usually contained the words posta shubesi, as opposed to telegraf hanei for the telegraph section. In 1860 ten postal facilities worked in Palestine, rising to 20 in 1900 and 32 in 1917.
A number of post offices are only known from archival material such as proof strikes of postmarks in Turkish PTT archives or lists prepared by the Ottoman Post for the UPU
before 1914. Philatelists have so far not recorded any genuinely used postmarks or other postal material for these postal facilities:
name=Birken_Beyrut293037>Birken, 2007, Vol. Beyrut, pp. 29-30, 37.
No TPO postmarks are known for other railway lines operating during this period, irrespective of whether these lines actually did transport mail. Lines operating were (year of completion): Acre–Beled esh-Shech (1912), Afule–Djennine (1913), Djennine–Messudshi (1914), Messudshi–Tulkarem–Ludd (1915), Wadi Sarrar–Et-Tine–Beersheba, Beersheba–Hafir (1915), Et-Tine–Gaza (1916), and Deir el-Balah–Beersheba (1916).
The Imperial edict of 12 Ramasan 1256 (14 October 1840) led to substantial improvements in the Ottoman postal system and a web of prescribed and regular despatch rider (tatar) routes was instituted. Beginning in 1841, the Beirut-route was extended to serve Palestine, going from Beirut via Damascus and Acre to Jerusalem.
Postal services were organized at the local level by the provincial governors and these leases (posta mültesimi) came up for auction annually in the month of March. It is reported that in 1846 Italian businessmen Santelli and Micciarelli became leaseholders and ran a service from Jerusalem to Ramle, Jaffa, Sûr, and Saida.
By 1852, a weekly service operated from Saida via Sûr, Acre (connection to Beirut), Haifa, and Jaffa to Jerusalem, also serving Nablus beginning in 1856. That same year, two new routes came into operation: Jerusalem–Hebron–Gaza, and Tiberias–Nazareth–Chefa Omer–Acre. In 1867, the Jerusalem-Jaffa route operated twice a week, and beginning in 1884, the Nablus-Jaffa route received daily despatches.
Initially all the postal facilities had the status of relay stations, and letters received their postmarks only at the Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
post office. In contradiction to that rule, a small number of markings Djebel Lubnan have been discovered: these are believed by philatelists to have been applied by a relay station at Staura
Chtaura
Chtaura is a town in Lebanon in the fertile Beqaa valley located between the Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. It is located halfway on the Beirut Damascus highway. It is located 44 km from Beirut....
(Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
). In the 1860s, most relay stations were promoted to the status of branch post offices and received postmarks, initially only negative seals, of their own. The postmarks of an office's postal section usually contained the words posta shubesi, as opposed to telegraf hanei for the telegraph section. In 1860 ten postal facilities worked in Palestine, rising to 20 in 1900 and 32 in 1917.
Ottoman post offices
| Place name (Name)Name of the town or village, as used at the time, plus transcription. | Population (Year)Population estimate, latest available figure pre-1918. |
Est.Establishment of a postal facility (relay or telegraph station, agency, etc.) | Dates of Known UsageDates of actual use of postmaks, recorded by philatelists. | Refs. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ord.Ordinary mail: dated and undated postmarks. | Reg.Registered mail: teahud olunmushdur marks and labels. | Off.Official mail: tahirat mühumme markings. | Tel.Telegraph marks telegraf chane ve posta. | Cens.Censor markings: mu'ajene olunmushdur or sansur. | ||||
| Acre (`Akkâ) Acre, Israel Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country.... |
12000 (1915) | 1841 | 1869–1918 | 1885–1918 | 1884–1914 | 1916–1917 | ||
| Afula (`Afula) Afula Afula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:... |
1919 | 1917–1918 | 1918 | |||||
| Aioun Cara (`Uyûn Qâra) | 950 (1916) | 1904–1916 | 1916 | |||||
| Beit Djala (Bait Djâla) Beit Jala Beit Jala is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at altitude... |
6000 (1915) | 1913–1916 | ||||||
| Beni Saab (Tulkarem) (Beni Sa`b) | 5000 (1916) | 1879–1918 | 1917 | 1912–1913 | 1912 | 1917–1918 | ||
| Bethlehem (Bait al-Lahm) Bethlehem Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism... |
12000 (1915) | 1870 | 1900–1917 | 1895–1917 | 1885–1914 | |||
| Bireh (al-Bîra) Al-Bireh al-Bireh or el-Bira is a Palestinian city adjacent to Ramallah in the central West Bank, north of Jerusalem. It is situated on the central ridge running through the West Bank and is above sea level, covering an area of... |
1000 (1910) | 1908–1917 | 1917 | |||||
| Bir ul-Sebbe (Bi'r as-Seb`a) Beersheba Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300.... |
3000 (1915) | 1911–1917 | 1916 | 1883 | 1915–1917 | |||
| Bissan (Beysân) Bet She'an is a city in the North District of Israel which has played an important role historically due to its geographical location at the junction of the Jordan River Valley and Jezreel Valley... |
3000 (1910) | <1903 | 1908–1918 | |||||
| Bon Samaritain (Khân al-Hatrûra) | 1902–1914 | |||||||
| Chefa Omer (Shefâ `Amr) Shefa-'Amr Shefa-'Amr, also Shfar'am is a predominantly Arab city in the North District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 35,300.-Etymology:... |
3000 (1918) | 1890–1918 | ||||||
| Dauran (Rehoboth) (Daurân) Rehoboth -Places:In the Christian Bible*Rehoboth , the name of three Biblical placesin Australia*Rehoboth Christian College, Perth, Western AustraliaIn Israel*Rehoboth, the conventional English name for Rehovot, IsraelIn Namibia*Rehoboth, Namibia... |
1200 (1918) | 1910–1915 | 1916 | |||||
| Djaune (Rosch-Pinah) (Djâ`ûn) | 1000 (1918) | 1910–1918 | ||||||
| Djenine (Djanîn) Jenin Jenin is the largest town in the Northern West Bank, and the third largest city overall. It serves as the administrative center of the Jenin Governorate and is a major agricultural center for the surrounding towns. In 2007, the city had a population of 120,004 not including the adjacent refugee... |
2000 (1910) | 1871 | 1871–1918 | 1918 | 1895–1897 | |||
| Gaza (Ghaza) | 30000 (1915) | 1856 | 1970-1917 | 1902–1917 | 1893–1903 | 1916 | ||
| Hafir (Hafîr) | 1915–1917 | |||||||
| Haifa (Hayfâ) Haifa Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher... |
20000 (1915) | 1852 | 1865–1918 | 1898–1918 | 1901–1918 | 1914–1918 | ||
| Haifa Hejaz Railway (Hîfâ Hîmîdiya Hidjâz Demiûryolu) | 1907 | |||||||
| Haifa Iskelesi (Port Railway) (Hîfâ `Isqelesi) | <1909 | 1914 | ||||||
| Haifa Sari ul-Kanasil (German Quarter) (Hayfâ Shâri`a al-Qanâsil) | <1909 | 1914 | ||||||
| Halasa (Halâsa) | 1916–1917 | |||||||
| Halil ul-Rahman (Khalîl ar-Rahmân) Hebron Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter... |
22000 (1916) | 1850 | 1892–1917 | 1909–1912 | 1903–1904 | |||
| Jaffa (Yafa) Jaffa Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:... |
40000 (1915) | 1838 | 1868–1917 | 1984-1917 | 1865–1916 | 1914–1917 | ||
| Jaffa Iskelesi (Port) (Yafa Iskelesi) | 1895–1899 | |||||||
| Jaffa Menchie (Menshiye) | 1910–1915 | |||||||
| Jaffa Tel Abib (Tel Abîb) Tel Aviv Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with... |
<1914 | 1917 | ||||||
| Jericho (Arîhâ) Jericho Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently... |
1000 (1910) | 1900 | 1900–1918 | |||||
| Jerusalem (al-Quds) | 80000 (1915) | 1841 | 1868–1917 | 1890–1917 | 1877–1899 | 1866–1917 | 1914–1917 | |
| Jerusalem Camp Imperial (Qudüs Iqâmetkâ-i Imperâtûri) | 1898 | |||||||
| Jerusalem Gare (Qudüs Demûryûli) | 1901–1911 | |||||||
| Jerusalem Mahna Juda (Mahnâ Yûdâ) | 1909–1912 | |||||||
| Jerusalem Méo-Charem (Mûsh`arem) | 1904–1917 | 1910–1917 | ||||||
| Jerusalem Nahlat Shiva (Nahlât Sh(?)îvâ) | 1913 | |||||||
| Jerusalem Nôtre Dame de France (Nutr Dâm da Frânsâ) | 1912 | |||||||
| Jerusalem Quartier Israelite (Yehûdi Mahalasi) | 1895–1917 | 1896–1917 | ||||||
| Jerusalem Souk el-Attarine (Sûq el-`Atârîn) | 1907–1917 | |||||||
| Khan Younesse (Khân Yûnis) Khan Yunis Khan Yunis - often spelt Khan Younis or Khan Yunnis - is a city and adjacent refugee camp in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics the city, its refugee camp, and its immediate surroundings had a total population of 180,000 in 2006... |
<1909 | 1914–1916 | ||||||
| Led (Lod) Lod Lod is a city located on the Sharon Plain southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2010, it had a population of 70,000, roughly 75 percent Jewish and 25 percent Arab.The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod... |
7000 (1915) | <1895 | 1908–1917 | |||||
| Medjdil (Medjdil) Ashkelon Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age... |
3000 (1915) | <1899 | 1899–1917 | |||||
| Nablus (Nâblus) Nablus Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the... |
27000 (1916) | 1856 | 1868–1918 | 1892–1915 | 1871–1898 | 1918 | ||
| Nasrie (Nasira) Nazareth Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel... |
15000 (1915) | 1856 | 1871–1918 | 1891–1918 | 1871–1903 | 1885–1901 | 1915–1917 | |
| Ramallah (Râm Allâh) Ramallah Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority... |
5000 (1915) | <1903 | 1904–1915 | |||||
| Ramle (Ramla) Ramla Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region... |
7000 (1915) | 1853 | 1892–1917 | 1894–1899 | ||||
| Safed (Safed) Safed Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters... |
20000 (1914) | 1875–1918 | 1895–1918 | 1915 | 1885–1913 | 1915 | ||
| Samah (Samâh) | 1916–1918 | |||||||
| Sheria Nehri Jourdain (Sherî`a Nehri) | 1915 | |||||||
| Tabarya (Tabarya) | 6000 (1916) | 1856 | 1871–1918 | 1904–1917 | 1915 | 1885–1915 | ||
| Umm Lebes (Petah Tikwa) (Mlibes) Petah Tikva Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately... |
3600 (1915) | 1910–1917 | 1915–1917 | |||||
| Zamarin (Zamârîn) Zikhron Ya'aqov Zikhron Ya'akov is a town in Israel, south of Haifa, and part of the Haifa District. It is located at the southern end of the Carmel mountain range overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, near the coastal highway... |
1000 (1914) | <1899 | 1912–1918 | 1918 | ||||
A number of post offices are only known from archival material such as proof strikes of postmarks in Turkish PTT archives or lists prepared by the Ottoman Post for the UPU
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
before 1914. Philatelists have so far not recorded any genuinely used postmarks or other postal material for these postal facilities:
| Place Name (Name) | Est. | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| al-`Audja (al-`Audja) | possibly identical to Hafir | ||
| Asloudj (Bi'r `Aslûdj) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Bâb al-Wadd | |||
| Beit Sahur (Bait Sâhûr) Beit Sahour Beit Sahour is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority... |
only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Bir Birin (Bi'rain) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Bir el Zeit (Bi'r az-Zait) Bir Zeit Birzeit is a Palestinian town near Ramallah in the central West Bank. Its population in the 2007 census was 4529... |
only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Chaara, Wadi el-Shara (Sha`râ) | |||
| Dekirmen Bûrrni | listed only in 1884 PTT lists | ||
| Dharbat as-Sumra (Dharbat as-Sumra) | |||
| Djemain (Jammain) | listed only in 1892 & 1899 PTT lists | ||
| Djesr el-Majami (Mujami Bridge) (Djezr al-Madjâmi) | 1909 | railway station with telegraph office, listed in 1909 PTT lists | |
| Haifa Alman Mahallesi (Almân Mahllasi) | possibly identical to Haifa Sari ul-Kanasil (German Quarter) | ||
| Haifa Eastern Gate (Haifa Elbevabet ash-Sharqiya) | |||
| Haifa Hotel Nasara | listed in 1914 PTT lists | ||
| Haifa Iskele | |||
| Haifa Istayonu | |||
| `Irâq al-Manshîya (`Irâq al-Manshîya) Iraq al-Manshiyya Iraq al-Manshiyya is a former Palestinian town located 32 km northeast of Gaza City. Its total land area consisted of 13,838 dunams. According to the British Mandate, the town had a population of 2,010 Arabs and 210 Jews in 1945... |
only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Jaffa Souk el-Attarin (Souk el-`Attârin) | |||
| Jaffa Souk el-Necar (Souq al-Nekhâr) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Jerusalem Grande Rue (Ghrând Nû Aûtel) | only an agency cachet known, doubtful | ||
| Jerusalem Souk el-Tudjdjar (Sûq el-Tudjâr) | listed in 1909 PTT lists | ||
| Kalkile (Qalqîla) | 1913 | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | |
| Kaysariya (Qaysârîya) | 1913 | besides being known as a (telegraph) proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara, genuinely used copies have been reported.. Suspected to be actually the town in Anatolia. | |
| Mesmiye (Mesmiya) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Nablus Hükumet Konag Karshusu (Hukûmat Qunâghi Qarshûsi) | |||
| Safed Yahudi Mahallesi (Yahûdi Mahallasi) | listed in 1909 PTT lists | ||
| Salfit (Salfît) Salfit Salfit also spelled Salfeet is a Palestinian town in the central West Bank. Salfit is located at an altitude of in the central Samarian highlands adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Ariel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the City had a population of 8,796 in 2007.... |
1903? | listed in 1903 PTT lists | |
| Sebastiya (Sabâstîyâ) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Sharaviye (Sha`raviya (Djenîn)) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara | ||
| Shatta (Beit Ha Shitta) Beit Hashita Beit HaShita is a kibbutz between Afula and Beit She'an, Israel founded on 4 December 1928 by members of "Kvuzat HaHugim" and members of "Tnuat HaMahanot HaOlim" from Haifa and Jerusalem. The kibbutz was named after the biblical town of the same name, where the Midianites fled after being beaten... |
1909 | railway station with telegraph office, listed in 1909 PTT lists | |
| Tantoura (Tantûra) | <1899 | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara, listed in PTT lists 1899-1909 | |
| Tel esh-Shamame (Tal ash-Shamâm) | <1909 | railway station with telegraph office, listed in 1909 PTT lists | |
| Wadi el-Harar (Wâdî al-Harâr) | only known as proof strike in PTT Archives Ankara; possibly the Wadi Sarrar railway station. Presumed to be presently known as Kharas, north west of Hebron Hebron Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter... . Wadies Sarar to the west of Jerusalem was a military siding with no civilian postal facility. |
||
| Yebne (Yebna) Yibna Yibna was a Palestinian village of 5,420 inhabitants, located 15 kilometers southwest of Ramla. Yibna was occupied by Israeli forces on June 4, 1948, and was depopulated during the military assault and expulsion.-History:... |
Travelling post offices
Travelling post offices existed on three routes:- The Jaffa–JerusalemJaffa–Jerusalem railwayThe Jaffa–Jerusalem railway is a railroad that connected Jaffa and Jerusalem. The line was built in Ottoman Palestine by the French company Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jérusalem et Prolongements and inaugurated in 1892, after previous attempts by the Jewish philanthropist Moses...
route was officially opened on September 26, 1892 with stops at Jaffa, Ludd, Ramle, Sedshed, Deir Aban, Bittir, and Jerusalem. In 1888, the developer Joseph Navon had received a 71-year license, which he later sold to French investors, who operated the company as Société du Chemin de Fer Ottoman de Jaffa à Jerusalem et Prolonguements. The company was nationalized at the start of the war in 1914. Navon's license expressly prohibited the company from transporting mail for the various foreign post offices. Postmarks for this travelling post office, some inscribed Bur. Amb. Jerusalem–Jaffa, are registered by collectors from May 13, 1893 to December 14, 1914. - The Damascus–HaifaJezreel Valley railwayThe Jezreel Valley railway, or simply the Valley railway refers to a historical railroad in Ottoman and British Palestine, which was part of the larger Hejaz railway and ran along the Jezreel Valley....
route was completed in 1906 as a branch of the Hejaz Railway with stops at Dera'a, Muzerib, Zeizun, Tel el-Makarim, El-Hadshara, Wadi Kleit, El-Hammi, Semach, Dshisr el-Majami, Beit Shean, Shatta, Afule, Tel esh-Shamam, Esh-Shamaria, and HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. Postmarks for this travelling post office, inscribed Damas–Caiffa, are registered by collectors from 1908 to June 2, 1921 (one postmark remained in use during E.E.F. control). - The Messudshi–NablusNablusNablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
route was completed in 1914. Use of the postmark inscribed Nablous–Caiffa/Ambulant is only known for September 25, 1914.
name=Birken_Beyrut293037>Birken, 2007, Vol. Beyrut, pp. 29-30, 37.
No TPO postmarks are known for other railway lines operating during this period, irrespective of whether these lines actually did transport mail. Lines operating were (year of completion): Acre–Beled esh-Shech (1912), Afule–Djennine (1913), Djennine–Messudshi (1914), Messudshi–Tulkarem–Ludd (1915), Wadi Sarrar–Et-Tine–Beersheba, Beersheba–Hafir (1915), Et-Tine–Gaza (1916), and Deir el-Balah–Beersheba (1916).
See also
- Ottoman postal rates in Palestine
- Postage stamps and postal history of Palestine