Auction #36

Lebanon. The Monk Lebaneses mail service. From the second half of the 19th century, the increase in commercial traffic and the securitization of roads on the coastal strip of present-day Lebanon laid the foundations for the establishment of the official Ottoman postal system. It was essentially based on post stations in the most important coastal urban centers such as Saida, Beirut and Tripoli. To make up for the lack of connections with/between the smaller centers and to save on the high rates of the Ottoman post, the transport system was being developed through Christian itinerant monks who were already transporting mail of ecclesiastical/religious interest. This collection of 66 letters presents a set chronologically dated from the 1850s to the 1880s of folder letters and some envelopes. It is of a mixed nature between essentially religious/administrative and private/commercial matters. The locations from or to where they were sent include, in addition to Beirut and Tripoli, other locations such as Douma, Djbeil, Amyoun and Becharre, but also small ones such as Adneh, Tartej, Keftin, Kaftoun, Beit Chelala, Kfar Akka and Hardin. This is a rare collection of LEBANESE POSTAL HISTORY not to be underestimated for its documentary and collectible importance. A BASE FOR THE COLLECTION OF LETTERS SENT BEFORE THE OPENING OF POST OFFICES IN SMALL LEBANESE TOWNS.