Bahrain Postcard - Riffa Fort

Postcard
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Bilhete Postal

Bahrain

A very nice Bahrain postcard showing the Riffa Fort, built by Sh.Salman Bin Ahmed ( al fateh) Al Khalifa in 1812. Both the card and the stamps are beautiful. Again, there was a green 10 fils charity stamp affixed on the card. Thank You very much !

Taiwan FDC on "Taiwan Sculpture"

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Taiwan

Taiwan Sculpture

Date of Issue : 22 June 2010

Chunghwa Post issued a NT$25 souvenir sheet on “Water Buffaloes” by Huang Tu-shui (1895-1930). The souvenir sheet is embossed while printing. Huang Tu-shui was Taiwan’s first contemporary sculptor and a pioneer in fusing western and traditional sculptural elements. “Water Buffaloes,” one of Huang’s masterpieces and his most representative work, depicts a scene in a banana grove at the height of the summer: a refreshing breeze lightly sways the banana leaves as five water buffaloes mill about in a pasture. There are two naked shepherd boys: one on the back of a water buffalo, with a bamboo rod in hand and a bamboo hat on the tip of the rod, and another standing in front of the calf, caressing it with his hands. There is another boy, who is wearing a bamboo hat and sitting on the back of a buffalo. The air and posture of the boy touching the calf gives the work a sense of peace and stability, and the intermingling of the buffaloes provides a sense of balance. The piece vividly records a simple rural scene characteristic of early Taiwan. The sculpture is now on display in the Guangfu Auditorium of Zhongshan Hall in Taipei City.

A very nice souvenir sheet FDC from Taiwan.

Algeria FDC on "Ahellil of Gourrara"

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Algeria

Ahellil of Gourrara

Date of Issue : 3 June 2010

a stamp issue about Ahellil of Gourrara, it's a religious folks of the city of Gourrara



A very nice FDC from Algeria.

Israel FDC on "World Sailing Championship 420, Haifa 2010"

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Israel

World Sailing Championship 420, Haifa 2010

Date of Issue : 14 June 2010

Haifa would be hosting the International 420 Class World Sailing Championship in July 2010.

The site of the International 420 Class World Sailing Championship, Haifa 2010 is located in Haifa bay, Israel’s only natural bay, which has no currents and boasts marine conditions and global wind forces that are ideal for sailing year-round. In July the winds are westerly at 8-15 knots and the average temperature is 30°C, with water temperatures of approximately 25°C. The average relative humidity is 65%.

This is not the first time that international sailing championships have been held in Haifa. Haifa hosted the International 420 Class World Sailing Championship in 1988; the International Mistral Class Sailing Championship in 1989; “International Sailing Week” for all sailing classes in 1990; and the International Mistral Class Sailing Championship in 1996.

Slovakia FDC on "Sights of our Homeland - Castle of Topoľčianky"

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Slovakia

Sights of our Homeland - Castle of Topoľčianky

Date of Issue : 18 June 2010

Picturesque scenery of a large English-style park with a monumental classicist chateau is situated in the northern part of the municipality Topoľčianky. Archaeological research was carried out in 1990 in the courtyard of the chateau and uncovered the foundations of the oldest stone architecture from the 13th century. Already in the mid-16h century Topoľčianky was in the reach of Turkish raids and as a result, it was burnt down many times and the fortification was damaged. Ján Topoľčiansky, a lord of the chateau, also known as “Turk Fighter”, had the chateau rebuilt on its original foundations The last major reconstruction of the renaissance chateau was made halfway through the 17th century by the Earl Ladislav Rákoczi, together with his wife Elisabeth Rákoczi, born Bánffy who had part of the chateau rebuilt into a chateau chapel in 1662 in the north-western bastion. Since 1686, the chapel has been a significant sacred site in Slovakia. Halfway through the 18th century the chateau and the entire estate were mastered by the Keglevich earls who owned it up to 1890. At the beginning of the 19th century, the third earl of the Keglevich family, Ján Keglevich, ordered the southern renaissance wing to be demolished and replaced it in 1818 – 1825 with a classicist tract built. This classicist wing of the chateau is considered to be the nicest and cleanest demonstration of classicism in Slovakia.
The last noble owner of the castle was the Archduke Joseph August Habsburg with his wife the Archduchess Augusta after 1890. This couple had lived in the castle until 1918 when the first Czechoslovak Republic was established. The castle was nationalized and became the summer residence of the Presidents of the Republic. The first President of the Czechoslovak Republic, T. G. Masaryk, visited Topoľčianky almost every year during his presidency. Klement Gottwald was the last president to stay in the pleasant environment of the Topoľčianky chateau. In 1957 the Castle came under the administration of ROH for the purpose of superior holiday and in 1970 it was declared to be the National cultural monument for its beauty, artistic and historic value.
At present the castle is owned by the Joint Property Fund of the Trade Unions in the Slovak Republic (JMF ZOO v SR). The classicistic wing is used as a museum. Three renaissance wings of the chateau are currently used as a hotel with a restaurant.
Mgr. Lucia Vargová.

Another nice FDC from Slovakia. There is a "Sights of our Homeland: Castle Betliar" stamp which was also issued on 18 June, on the top left.

Slovakia FDC on "Sights of our Homeland: Castle Betliar"

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Slovakia

Sights of our Homeland: Castle Betliar

Date of Issue : 18 June 2010

Originally a hunting castle, with its permanent specialized exhibition of Housing Culture of the Nobility in the 18th and 19th Century, the Castle Betliar has belonged to the administration of the Slovak National Museum – Museum Betliar since 1996. From the point of view of attractiveness, it belongs to the most visited ones and from the point of view of monument preservation, it belongs to the most preserved cultural historical monuments of Slovakia. It has been included into the network of Slovak museums since 1952. The origins of the castle history date back to the first half of the 15th century and they are connected with the Hungarian family of Bebek. František Bebek built a small fortification in the period of the approaching Turkish threat. The greatest construction for the castle was noted in the period of the Transylvanian-Hungarian noble family of Andrássy which played an important part not only in the life of Gemer but the entire Hungary. The castle experienced several reconstructions over some centuries. The biggest and most extensive was the reconstruction of 1880 – 1886 under the control of the count Emanuel Andrássy and the castle obtained its present look. Previous owners furnished the castle with luxury and gathered a lot of works of art and craft there creating a present-day precious artistic and historic collection fund of the museum. What is really valuable is the movables of the exhibit of domestic and foreign provenance dated in the 16th to 19th centuries. Interiors are supplemented with gallery collections, ceramics collections, china and porcelain from various European manufactures. The greatest treasure of the Betliar Castle is the historical library founded by the count Leopold Andrássy in the mid-18th century. It currently contains 15 000 volumes of historic literature. Around the Castle there is a large natural and landscape historic park with the area of 57 ha which belongs to the most preserved and most precious parks in Slovakia. The park was included by the international committee ICOMOS/IFLA (International Council on Monuments and Sites) into the list of artistically and culturally valuable parks of the world recorded by UNESCO in 1978. In 1988 – 1994 the Castle was reconstructed as far as building and interior. In 1994 it was awarded the prestigious international award EUROPA NOSTRA for its example monument conservation.

A very nice FDC from Slovakia. There is a "Sights of our Homeland - Castle of Topoľčianky" stamp which was also issued on 18 June, on the top left. I like it very much.

Argentina FDC on "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010"

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Argentina

FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010

Date of Issue : 05 June 2010

$5 Souvenir Sheet : Defender

$1.5 stamp (orange background) : Team Greece
$1.5 stamp (yellow background) : Team Nigeria

My first FDC from Argentina and also my first FDC from South America. A very nice FDC for a soccer fan like me. Thank You very much to my friend.

Congratulations! Argentina successfully enter the next round !

Korea FDC on "2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa"

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South Korea

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

Date of Issue : 11 June 2010

Stamp Design : Dreams comes true

This World Cup, the first to be held in Africa, is participated by a total of 32 teams: 14 from Europe, 5 from Africa, 4 from South America, 4 from Asia, 4 from Northern and Central America and 1 from Oceania. From June 11, 2010, the venerable tournament run for one month in 10 stadiums across South Africa such as Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, etc, with the final championship match being held on July 11 in Soccer City, Johannesburg.

South Korea World Cup record: 1954 1st rd, 1986 1st rd, 1990 1st rd, 1994 1st rd, 1998 1st rd, 2002 4th, 2006 1st rd.

A very nice Korean FDC.

Congratulations! Korea successfully enter the next round !

China FDC on "KunQu Opera"

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China


KunQu Opera (昆曲)

Date of Issue : 12 June 2010

(from Left to Right)
3-1 : Washing the Silken Gauze (浣紗記)
3-2 : The Peony Pavilion (牡丹亭)
3-3 : The Palace of Long Life (長生殿)

Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese traditional opera, was born in the late Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, and prevailed during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) periods. Like an elegant "orchid" in the garden of Chinese operas, it features a variety of plays, diverse roles, pleasant melodies, and beautiful dancing. Kunqu is honored as the "Mother of All Operas". In 2001, the art form was listed by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Slovakia FDC on "World up 2010"

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Slovakia

World Cup 2010

Date of Issue : 8 June 2010

The FIFA World CUP it is the second most watched sporting event after the Olympic Games. The World Cup 2010 is hosted by South Africa (the first time hosted by an African nation) and the Slovak national football team has qualified for its first World Cup.

Up to now, 56 Slovak football players, or more precisely, football players from the Slovak clubs wearing the football shirt of Czechoslovakia have experienced the atmosphere of the World Cup at eight championships, of which Š. Čambal and F. Daučík (1934) and J. Popluhár, V. Schrojf, J. Adamec, A. Kvašňák, J. Tichý, A. Scherer, J. Štibráni, J. Bomba, T. Buberník and P. Molnár (1962) succeeded in wining silver medals for the second place. In the year 2010 it will be purely the Slovak football team.

A very very nice FDC from Slovakia. The stamp was produced using lenticular printing technology. I like it very much.

Bahrain Postcard - Batelco Building and Mosque

Postcard
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Bilhete Postal

Bahrain

A nice Bahrain postcard showing the Batelco building and mosque at Manama. I am very interested in the green 10 fils charity stamp bearing picture of wheat ears affixed on the card. From some website, I find that this extra 10 fils is compulsory for all mail and the revenue from the charity stamps (10 fils each) is transferred monthly to the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs of Bahrain.

Myanmar FDC on "60th Anniversary of China - Myanmar Diplomatic Relationship"

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Myanmar

60th Anniversary of China - Myanmar Diplomatic Relationship

Date of Issue : 8 June 2010

The Upper one is the offical FDC, while the lower one is a self made FDC by my friend.

On 8 June 2010, Myanmar issued a 100-Kyat new stamp to mark the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Myanmar which falls on the day.

With pictures featuring the City Hall in Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw and the Tian An-men Square in China's capital of Beijing, the 500,000-piece of historically significant stamps, issued by the state-run Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications, were distributed at the post offices of Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon and Mandalay.

China FDC on "Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction"

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China


Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction

Date of Issue : 5 June 2010

2-1 (Left) : Low-Carbon Development
2-2 (Right): Green Life

Philippines Postcard

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Bilhete Postal

Philippines

A nice Philippines postcard showing country side scene in oil by Fernando Amorsolo. Fernando Amorsolo was one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines.

Estonia FDC on "International Children’s Day"

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Estonia

International Children’s Day

Date of Issue : 1 June 2010

The International Children's Day is marked in many world countries, including Estonia, every year on the 1st of June. The tradition goes back to 1925 when the Chinese consul in San Francisco in the United States invited orphaned Chinese children to mark the traditional Dragon Festival. Like then the main aim of the International Children's Day is to bring happiness and pay special attention to the smallest among us. Everyday worries are forgotten on that day and jolly plans are made with family and friends to visit the zoo or the fun fair, to feast on icecream and lemonade or invent quite a new tradition to mark that day in the family. On the International Children's Day all adults focus their attention on children and there are many concerts, plays or open-air events for the whole family to choose from. This year’s International Children’s Day postage stamp features a design by a 6-year-old girl, Helina Madar, who won the Children and Nature drawing competition organised by Eesti Post in 2009.

China FDC on "Wen Yanbo Retrieves a Ball Falling into a Hole"

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China


Wen Yanbo Retrieves a Ball Falling into a Hole

Date of Issue : 1 June 2010

2-1 (Left) : Ball Falling into a Hole
2-2 (Right): Using Water to Float the Ball

Wen Yanbo (文彥博, 1006-1097), courtesy name kuanfu (寛夫), was a native of Jiexiu, Fenzhou (within the territory of present-day Shanxi Province). He served as the prime minister of northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) for half a century and compiled the Collection of Duke Lu. Wen was sharp when he was a child. One day, he and his peers played a ball, which accidentally fell into a tree hole. While the other kids were worried about not being able to retrieve it, Wen filled the hole with water to allow the ball to float out. This story, showing Wen's wisdom in addressing difficulties, has been widely circulated among Chinese people, especially the youngsters, for a thousand years.

China FDC on "The 10th Global Travel and Tourism Summit Beijing 2010"

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China


The 10th Global Travel and Tourism Summit Beijing 2010

Date of Issue : 25 May 2010

The 10th Global Travel & Tourism Summit took place in Beijing, China on 25-27 May 2010 under the theme 'World's Leading Industry - Reaching New Frontiers'.

The Summit was hosted by the China National Tourism Administration and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, and supported by the Beijing Tourism Administration and the Beijing Tourism Group.