BELARUS

MONACO

EUROPA CEPT 2025

SAINT PIERRE AND MIQUELON

My first cover from Saint Pierre and Miquelon. Saint Pierre and Miquelon, officially the Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French: Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon), is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, located near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. An archipelago of eight islands, St. Pierre and Miquelon is a vestige of the once-vast territory of New France. Its residents are French citizens. The collectivity elects its own deputy to the National Assembly and participates in senatorial and presidential elections. It covers 242 km2 of land and had a population of 5,819 as of the January 2022 census.

MOROCCO

This cover from Morocco depict a single stamp issued in 2024 celebrating the Medina of Marrakesh. Marrakesh or Marrakech is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Marrakesh comprises an old fortified city packed with vendors and their stalls. This medina quarter is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and contains the Jemaa el-Fnaa square, a large number of souks (markets), the Kutubiyya Mosque, and many other historic and cultural sites. The city serves as a major economic center and tourist destination. Real estate and hotel development in Marrakesh have grown dramatically in the 21st century. Marrakesh is particularly popular with the French, and numerous French celebrities own property in the city.

P. R. CHINA

This covers from P.R. China depicts a miniature sheet issued in 2000 celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage Site Longmen Grottoes, one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, they are located 12 kilometres south of present-day Luoyang in Henan province, China. The images, many once painted, were carved as outside rock reliefs and inside artificial caves excavated from the limestone cliffs of the Xiangshan and Longmenshan, running east and west. In 2000 the site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity," for its perfection of an art form, and for its encapsulation of the cultural sophistication of Tang China.

TIMOR LESTE

CROATIA

This cover from Croatia depicts 2 stamps of the same type with a picture of the Northern Velebit National Park, which is part of the UNESCO site Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. This site comprises undisturbed examples of temperate forests that demonstrate the postglacial expansion process of European beech from a few isolated refuge areas in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, Mediterranean, and Pyrenees. The site was originally listed in 2007 as the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians, shared by Slovakia and Ukraine, extended in 2011 to include the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany, and further extended in 2017 and 2021 to include forests in a total of 18 countries.

P. R. CHINA

INDONESIA

ALBANIA

TURKEY

P. R. CHINA

SENEGAL

My first cover from Senegal. A new country in my collection.

PHILIPPINES

PHILIPPINES

P. R. CHINA

UKRAINE

This beautiful cover with a minisheet issued in 2023, celebrates the Ukranian Karol at the Monastery of the Caves (Kiev-Pechersk Lavra), in Kiev. The monument is part of the Unesco World Heritage Site Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This is a monastic ensemble which was developing from the 11th to the 19th centuries. It comprises churches, monasteries, and caves where saints were buried. It was an important centre of Eastern Orthodox Church. The site was recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program in 1990 as one complex. The Church of the Saviour at Berestove, adjacent to the Lavra, was added to the site in 2005.

GERMANY

This cover from Germany depicts 2 stamps of the same type celebrating the ShUM Sites of Speyer, Worms and Mainz. The ShUM communities, named after the initial letters of Hebrew city names Speyer, Worms, and Mainz, were crucial in the development of the Ashkenazi culture in central Europe, especially between the 10th and 13th centuries. The sites, which comprise the Jewish Cemetery in Worms, Worms Synagogue, Jewish courtyard in Speyer (pictured), and the Old Jewish Cemetery in Mainz, were influential in the architecture of Jewish communities in Germany, northern France, and England. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2021.

TAIWAN

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

P. R. CHINA

UNO VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 2 stamps of the same type celebrating the World Heritage Site Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. The Buddhist complex was founded in the 8th century under the Silla kingdom. The Seokguram Grotto, an artificial grotto constructed of granite, is a masterpiece of East Asian Buddhist art and contains a large statue of Buddha. The Bulguksa Temple was completed in 774. It comprises several wooden buildings on stone terraces. Both the temple and the grotto have been renovated several times, in line with traditional techniques. In 1995, Seokguram was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Bulguksa Temple. It exemplifies some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world.

VIETNAM

P. R. CHINA

KAZAKHSTAN

This cover from Kazakhstan depicts 3 stamps issued celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage site Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly. Petroglyphs in the Tanbaly Gorge in Chu-Ili mountains depict humans, animals, and religious figures. They date from the second half of the second millennium BC to the beginning of the 20th century and provide insight into the life of pastoral communities that lived in the region. A number of tombs, kurgans, and enclosures from Bronze and Iron Age have also been found in the area. Tamgaly became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. Tamgaly is located 170 km (by road) northwest of Almaty.

FRANCE

This cover from France features 2 stamps of the same type, celebrating the Lascaux Cave. Lascaux cave, in Montignac, was discovered in 1940. It is filled with around 600 polychrome paintings from about 17,000 years ago. It was opened to the public in 1948, but closed again in 1963 when it became clear that the paintings were being damaged by fungus and lichen growth caused by the changes in atmosphere brought along by the thousands of visitors. Exact reproductions can be visited since 1983 (Lascaux II, covering the two main chambers) and in 2016 Lascaux IV was opened, showing nearly all the paintings. Lascaux cave is a part of Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in France since 1979.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

A beatiful cover from Russia, featuring a block issued in 2024 celebrating 500 years of the Novodevichy Convent. The Ensemble of the Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery, is probably the best-known cloister of Moscow. Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from the Old Maidens' Monastery within the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17th century. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

GIBRALTAR

EUROPA CEPT 2020

SRI LANKA

This nice cover from Sri Lanka features a joint issue Sri Lanka-France issued in 2023, both stamps showing pictures of Worl Heritage Sites: the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey in France and Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. The Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey is an abbey located within the city and island of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, in the department of Manche. The abbey is an essential part of the structural composition of the town the feudal society constructed. On top, God, the abbey, and monastery; below this, the Great halls, then stores and housing, and at the bottom (outside the walls), fishermen's and farmers' housing. The abbey has been protected as a French monument historique since 1862. Since 1979, the site as a whole – i.e., the Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay – has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux. The abbey is among the most visited cultural sites in France. Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite rock approximately 180 m. According to the ancient Sri Lankan chronicle the Cūḷavaṃsa, this area was a large forest, then after storms and landslides it became a hill and was selected by King Kashyapa (AD 477–495) for his new capital. He built his palace on top of this rock and decorated its sides with colourful frescoes. On a small plateau about halfway up the side of this rock he built a gateway in the form of an enormous lion. The name of this place is derived from this structure; Sīnhāgiri, the Lion Rock (an etymology similar to Sinhapura, the Sanskrit name of Singapore, the Lion City). The capital and the royal palace were abandoned after the king's death. It was used as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century. Sigiriya today is a UNESCO listed World Heritage Site (since 1992). It is one of the best preserved examples of ancient urban planning.

GERMANY

This cover from Germany depicts 4 definittive stamps celebrating the Old Town of Regensburg. Regensburg is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the fourth-largest city in the State of Bavaria after Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg. From its foundation as an imperial Roman river fort, the city has been the political, economic and cultural centre of the surrounding region. Later, during portions of the Holy Roman Empire rule it housed the Perpetual Diet of Regensburg. The medieval centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site sice 2006.

GERMANY

This cover from Germany depicts 2 stamps of the same type and a stamp of 110 (on the left) celebrating the Schwerin Residence Ensemble. Schwerin Castle, also known as Schwerin Palace, is a 19th-century Schloss built in the historicist style located in the city of Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, Germany. It is situated on an island in the city's main lake, Lake Schwerin. For centuries, the castle on the present site was the home of the dukes and grand dukes of Mecklenburg and later Mecklenburg-Schwerin, although few parts of the pre-19th-century castle have survived. Today, parts of the castle serve as the residence of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state parliament (German: Landtag) while other parts are used for the palace museum, a restaurant, and cultural events, like open-air theatre in the courtyard. Significant parts of the current palace were built between 1845 and 1857 as a collaboration between the eminent historicist architects Gottfried Semper, Friedrich August Stüler, Georg Adolf Demmler, and Ernst Friedrich Zwirner. The castle is regarded as one of the most important works of Romantic historicism in Europe, and is nicknamed the "Neuschwanstein of the North". In 2023, Schwerin Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

HUNGARY

KAZAKHSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

MACAO

BELGIUM

P. R. CHINA

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 3 stamps of the same type, celebrating the Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes. The Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes is a World Heritage Site in Jeju Province, South Korea. It was inscribed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2007 because of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System and the exhibition of diverse and accessible volcanic features which are considered to demonstrate a distinctive and valuable contribution to the understanding of global volcanism. Jeju is a volcanic island 130 kilometers from the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The largest island and smallest province in South Korea, the island has a surface area of 1,846 square kilometers.

KAZAKHSTAN

INDONESIA

P. R. CHINA

PALAU

BELARUS

UN VIENNA

This cover from UNO Vienna depicts 2 stamps of the same type, celebrating the Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites. The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are the location of hundreds of stone dolmens which were used as grave markers, and for ritual purposes during the first millennium BCE when the Megalithic Culture was prominent on the Korean Peninsula. The sites were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The Korean Peninsula is home to over 35,000 dolmens, accounting for approximately 40% of the world's total; the Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa sites are themselves home to over 1,000 dolmens.

THAILAND

P. R. CHINA

FRENCH POLYNESIA

My 1st cover from French Polynesia and a new country/postal authority in my collection. French Polynesia (French: Polynésie française) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Polynesia is 3,521 square kilometres, with a population of abouth 280,000, of which at least 205,000 live in the Society Islands and the remaining population lives in the rest of the archipelago. Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia.

BRAZIL

This cover from Brazil features a stamp issued in 2024 celebrating the Lençois Maranhenses National Park, a national park in Maranhão state in northeastern Brazil, just east of the Baía de São José. Protected on June 2, 1981, the 155,000 ha park includes 70 km of coastline, and an interior composed of rolling sand dunes. During the rainy season, the valleys among the dunes fill with freshwater lagoons, prevented from draining by the impermeable rock beneath. The park is home to a range of species, including four listed as endangered, and has become a popular destination for ecotourists. In July 2024 the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional beauty and the fact that it is a unique natural aspect in the world.

P. R. CHINA

SRI LANKA

This cover from Sri Lanka depicts 3 different stamps, including a 35.00 stamp (on the right corner) celebrating the Sacred City of Kandy. Kandy is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.