MALAYSIA

UN VIENNA

This cover from UN Vienna depcits 4 stamps of the same type, celebrating Ephesus. Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 3 kilometres southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC. The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators. Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction. In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

CROATIA

A UNESCO cover from Croatia, depicting 2 stamps celebrating the Lokrum Island, Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik (historically Ragusa) is a city on the Adriatic Sea in southern Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. Its total population is 42,615 (census 2011). In 1979, the city of Dubrovnik joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. The history of the city probably dates back to the 7th century, when the town known as Ragusa was founded by refugees from Epidaurum (Ragusa Vecchia). It was under the protection of the Byzantine Empire and later under the sovereignty of the Republic of Venice. Between the 14th and 19th centuries, Dubrovnik ruled itself as a free state. The prosperity of the city was historically based on maritime trade; as the capital of the maritime Republic of Ragusa, it achieved a high level of development, particularly during the 15th and 16th centuries, as it became notable for its wealth and skilled diplomacy. At the same time, Dubrovnik became a cradle of Croatian literature. The entire city was almost destroyed when a devastating earthquake hit in 1667. During the Napoleonic Wars, Dubrovnik was occupied by the French Empire forces, and then the Republic of Ragusa was abolished and incorporated into the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and later into the Illyrian Provinces. Later on in the early 19th to mid 20th century, Dubrovnik was a part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia within the Austrian Empire, and later part of the Banovina of Zeta which later became part of Banovina Croatia in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and SR Croatia in SFR Yugoslavia. In 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Dubrovnik was besieged by the Yugoslav People's Army for seven months and suffered significant damage from shelling. After undergoing repair and restoration works in the 1990s and early 2000s, it re-emerged as one of the Mediterranean's top tourist destinations, as well as a popular filming location.

P. R. CHINA

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 4 stamps of the same type celebrating the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is an American national park located in the U.S. state of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. The park encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's largest shield volcano. The park provides scientists with insight into the development of the Hawaiian Islands and access for studies of volcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, glimpses of rare flora and fauna, and a view into the traditional Hawaiian culture connected to these landscapes. The park was originally established on August 1, 1916, as Hawaii National Park, which was then split into this park and Haleakalā National Park. In recognition of its outstanding natural values, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park was designated as an International Biosphere Reserve in 1980 and a World Heritage Site in 1987.

SPAIN

A cover from Spain depicting a single stamp that celebrates International Classical Theater Festival, in Mérida. The stamp shows a picture of the roman amphitheater im Mérida (the Roman colony of Augusta Emerita), one of the largest and most extensive archaeological sites in Spain, registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

CROATIA

THAILAND

UN VIENNA

This cover from UN Vienna depicts 4 stamps (of the same type) celebrating the World Heritage Site Nemrut Dag. Mount Nemrut or Nemrud is a 2,134-metre-high mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. It is one of the highest peaks in the east of the Taurus Mountains. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

UN VIENNA

This cover from UN Vienna depicts 5 beautiful stamps of the same type with a picture of the Historic Areas of Istanbul. The Historic Areas of Istanbul are inscribed as a UNESCO site since 1985. Due to its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2.000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th. century Hagia Sophia and the 16th. century Süleymaniye Mosque.

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 4 stamps of the same type celebrating the Yosemite National Park. Yosemite National Park is a national park in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers 759,620 acres (1,187 sq mi; 3,074 km2) in four counties – centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitat blocks in the Sierra Nevada.

BELARUS

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil depicts 4 stamps, including 2 Fauna stamps issued in 1995 showing pictures of endemic birds from the Atlantis Forest South-East Reserves, in the state of Paraná and São Paulo. The 25 protected areas that make up the site (some 470,000 ha in total) display the biological wealth and evolutionary history of the last remaining Atlantic forests. From mountains covered by dense forests, down to wetlands, coastal islands with isolated mountains and dunes, the area comprises a rich natural environment of great scenic beauty. It was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.

AUSTRIA

A very nice cover from Austria, depicting 3 different stamps with some pictures of the ruins of the roman city of Carnuntum, Austria. The ruins are part of the Danube Roman Limes. The Danubian Limes, a network of fortifications along the Danube river, protected the borders of the Roman Empire.The Austrian section is 357.5 km long and includes sites at 46 locations. The site is shared with Germany and Slovakia. In 2021, the western segment of the Danube Limes were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the set of "Frontiers of the Roman Empire" World Heritage Sites.

UN VIENNA

This cover came from United Nations Vienna and depicts 3 stamps of the same type celebrating the Palace of Schönbrunn in Vienna. Schönbrunn Palace park in Vienna, which has been open to the public since 1779, is home to the Desert House, the Orangery, the Privy Garden, and the Palm House built in 1882. It is featured on the commemorative stamp and used to be the world’s largest glass structure. Schönbrunn Palace was the residence of the Habsburg emperors from the 18th century to 1918. It was built in the Rococo style as a single, unified project. It was designed by the architects Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Nicolaus Pacassi and is the site of the world's oldest continuously operating Zoo. The Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn are inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

UN VIENNA

This amazing cover from UNO Wien depicts 4 stamps of the same type, celebrating the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi, Turkey. This monument is a mosque and hospital complex built in 1228–1229 by the local dynasty of the Mengujekids in the small Anatolian town of Divriği, now in Sivas Province, Turkey. The complex is located in the upper town, below the citadel. The exquisite stone carvings and eclectic architecture of the complex places it among the most important works of architecture in Anatolia and led to its inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985.

AUSTRIA

This cover from Austria depicts a single ATM stamp with a picture of the Palace of Eggenberg (Schloss Eggenberg in german), in Graz- Graz is the capital city of the Austrian province of Styria and the second-largest city in Austria, after Vienna. Graz is known as a college and university city, with four colleges and four universities. Combined, the city is home to more than 60,000 students. Its historic centre (Altstadt) is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe. In 1999, the city's historic centre was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and in 2010 the designation was expanded to include Eggenberg Palace on the western edge of the city.

P. R. CHINA