Ready to indulge in some history lessons?
I know I was when I first started working on this blog.
So, after learning about the overall history of stamps, from where they started to how they spread around the world, I was now curious to learn on how stamps appeared in Ethiopia and excited to see the different designs that originated from Ethiopia.
But before we dig into the history of stamps, I believe it's important to cover the base first: The Postal System in Ethiopia. Way before postal systems were introduced in Ethiopia, couriers called melektegnas would be used to deliver letters. These melektegnas would carry the letters on a stick, travel miles and miles and deliver the letters safely to the recipient. Hence the Ethio post logo. The post on a stick on the logo pays homage to the melektegnas that made communication possible when no other method was present.
Emperor Menelik’s rise to power in 1889 propelled significant change in the country. At the time, Ethiopia was still an independent state, but coming into power, Emperor Menelik quickly understood that the country could only keep her independence if she moved into modernization with the rest of the world. So, in addition of launching a series of military campaigns to expand and consolidate Ethiopian control over surrounding regions, Emperor Menelik also recruited Swiss National Alfred llg to oversee the development of Ethiopias first postal service and the construction of a railway from Addis Ababa to the coastal town of Djibouti in French Somalia Coast.
In 1894, railway construction officially commenced. It would be finalized in 1902.
During this project, Alfred llg arranged Leon Chefneux, a french trader and businessman, to contract with Louis-Eugène Mouchon, a French painter, graphic artist, medalist, engraver and sculptor, to design the first set of stamps. In January 1895, the first set of seven stamps were issued: four designs depicting Menelik and three depicting the Heraldic lion.
The first set of stamps were in use until 1909 and were only used within the country and Djibouti. This was because Ethiopia was not part of the Universal Postal Union, UPU, and any mail sent out from Ethiopia would have to be additionally franked with stamps of UPU members.
In 1908, Ethiopia joined the UPU and the first stamps of Ethiopia valid for international mail were issued on November 1st 1908.