rrraphy

Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and the Lebanon, Part 1
(For historical references check Wikipedia)
This is a multi part series. Part 1, summarizes the historical context (sorry it is a bit long, and complicated), and looks at the unique regional stamps of Ile Rouad (issued prior to the French Mandate)

INTRODUCTION


Prior to the Official French Mandate in the area of Syria and Lebanon, France had offices in various parts of the Ottoman Empire. They also occupied some territories for strategic reasons during its WWI conflict with the Ottoman Empire, and immediately after WWI.
The WWI conflict ended with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and was the basis of the various territories carved out between England and France resulting in the many autonomous Middle Eastern States in this area.
Stamps of the French Offices in the Turkish Empire are not covered in this analysis. Nor are the British related areas (including Egypt, Palestine, Transjordan, Iraq, etc..), at least not for now.

Some stamps were issued during the WWI conflict or immediately after its end, when France occupied some limited territories, prior to exercising its authority under the French Mandate. Unique are the stamps issued in 1916 of Ile Rouad, which I cover here, as well as the Stamps of Cilicia under French Occupation, issued after the conclusion of the war (which I cover superficially but plan to complete in the future). These stamps were used prior to the establishment of the French Mandate territories. Stamps of the Mandate territories will thus be covered in this series of articles (PARTS 4-->).

PART I : HISTORY

Conflict between Russia, France, England and the Allied forces against the Ottoman Empire, during WWI, resulted upon the fall of the empire in a patchwork of divisions, regional territories and carved out states that are still to this day breaking up and reforming as separate (unsettled) entities.

Officially, the Mandate for Syria and Lebanon (1923−1946), was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire concerning specifically Syria and the Lebanon.

During the two years that followed the end of the war in 1918 the British held control of most Ottoman Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and the southern part of the Ottoman Syria (Palestine and Transjordan), while the French controlled the rest of Ottoman Syria, Lebanon, Alexandretta (Hatay) and other portions of southeastern Turkey. The British and French control of these territories became formalized by the League of Nations' mandate system, and France was assigned the League of Nations mandate of Syria proper.
The administration of the region under the French was carried out through a number of different governments and territories, including the Syrian Federation (1922–24), the State of Syria (1924–30)and the Syrian Republic (1930–1958), as well as the smaller states of the State of Greater Lebanon, the Alawite State and Druze State.

The French mandate of Syria lasted until 1943, when two independent countries emerged from the mandate period, Syria and Lebanon, in addition to Hatay, which was annexed by Turkey in 1939. French troops completely left Syria and Lebanon in 1946.

The Syrian Arabian Government and Kingdom:
With the defeat of Ottomans in Syria, British troops, under General Allenby, entered Damascus in 1918 accompanied by troops of the Arab Revolt led by Faisal, son of Sharif Hussein of Mecca. Faisal established the first Arab government in Damascus in October 1918, and named Ali Rida Pasha ar-Rikabi a military governor.

The new Arab administration formed local governments in the major Syrian cities, and the Arabs hoped, with faith in earlier British promises, that the new Arab state would include all the Greater Arab lands. However, in accordance with the secret Sykes–Picot Agreement between Britain and France, General Allenby assigned to the Arab administration only the interior regions of Syria. Palestine was reserved for the British. French troops disembarked in Beirut and occupied the Lebanese coastal region (the western zone), replacing British troops there, and the French dissolved the local Arab governments in the region.
Faisal had traveled several times to Europe, beginning in November 1918, trying to convince France and Britain to change their positions, but without success.

At the Paris Peace Conference, the European powers decided to ignore the Arab demands. In 1919, elections were held for the Syrian National Congress. Unrest erupted later in Syria when Faisal accepted a compromise over the issue of Jewish immigration to Palestine. Muslim inhabitants in and around Mount Lebanon revolted with fear of being incorporated into a new, mainly Christian, state of Greater Lebanon. In 1920, the Congress in Damascus adopted a resolution rejecting the French-Syrian accord and declared the independence of Syria in her natural borders (including Southern Syria or Palestine), and proclaimed Faisal the King of all Arabs. The congress also proclaimed political and economic union with neighboring Iraq and demanded its independence as well.

The supreme inter-Allied council, granted France the mandate of Syria (including Lebanon), and granted Britain the Mandate of Palestine (including Jordan), and Iraq. Syrians reacted with violent demonstrations, and a new government headed by Ali Rida al-Rikabi was formed. The new government decided to form an army to oppose militarily the French. In July 1920, General Gouraud issued an ultimatum to Faisal, giving him the choice between submission or abdication. Realizing that the power balance was not in his favor, Faisal chose to cooperate. However, the young minister of war, Youssef al-Azmeh, refused to comply. In the resulting Franco-Syrian War, the French won the battle in less than a day. Azmeh died on the battlefield along with many of the Syrian troops. The French troops entered Damascus on 24 July 1920. That was the end of the Syrian Arabian Kingdom.

MANDATE STATES CREATED UNDER THE FRENCH:





Map showing the states of the French Mandate from 1921–22.
The mandate region was subdivided into six states. They were the states of Damascus (Syria now) (1920), Aleppo (1920), Alawites (1920), Jabal Druze (1921), the autonomous Sanjak of Alexandretta (1921, modern-day Hatay), and the State of Greater Lebanon (1920), which became later the modern country of Lebanon.
The drawing of those states was based in part on the sectarian make up on the ground in Syria. However, nearly all the Syrian sects were hostile to the French mandate and to the division it created. This was best demonstrated by the numerous revolts that the French encountered in all of the Syrian states. Maronite Christians of Mount Lebanon, on the other hand, were a community with a dream of independence that was being realized under the French; therefore, Greater Lebanon was the exception to the newly formed states.
When first arriving in Lebanon, the French were received as liberators by the Christian community, but as they were entering Syria, they were faced with a strong resistance. It took France three years from 1920 to 1923 to hold full control over Syria and to quell all the insurgencies that broke out, notably in the Alawite territories, Mount Druze and Aleppo.


On 1 September 1920, General Gouraud proclaimed the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon.
Greater Lebanon was created by France to be a "safe haven" for the Maronite population of Mount Lebanon. Mt. Lebanon, an area with a Maronite majority, had enjoyed variable degrees of autonomy during the Ottoman era. However, in addition other, mainly Muslim, regions were added, forming "Greater" Lebanon.
Most of the Muslims in Greater Lebanon rejected the new state upon its creation. Some believe that the Muslim continuous demand for reunification with Syria eventually brought about an armed conflict between Muslims and Christians in 1958 when Lebanese Muslims wanted to join the newly proclaimed United Arab Republic, while Lebanese Christians were strongly opposed. However, most members of the Lebanese Muslim communities and their political elites were already committed to the idea of being Lebanese citizens since the late 1930s, even though they also tended to nurture Arab nationalist sentiments.
Maronites were the majority in Lebanon and managed to preserve its independence; an independence that created a unique precedent in the Arab world as Lebanon was the first Arab country in which Christians were not a minority. The State of Greater Lebanon existed until 23 May 1926, after which it became the Lebanese Republic.

State of Alawites or Alaouites
The State of Alawites (French: État des Alaouites‎‎) was located on the Syrian coast and incorporated a majority of Alawites, a branch of Shia Islam.

Latakia
The port city of Latakia was the capital of this state. Initially it was an autonomous territory under French rule known as the "Alawite Territories". It became part of the Syrian Federation in 1922, but left the federation again in 1924 and became the "State of Alawites". On 22 September 1930, it was renamed the "Independent Government of Latakia". The government of Latakia finally joined the Syrian Republic on 5 December 1936.

The State of Jabal Druze
It was a French mandate from 1921 to 1936 created for the Druze population of southern Syria. I am not aware of any stamps issued there.

State of Aleppo
The State of Aleppo (1920–1925,‎‎) included a majority of Sunni Muslims. It covered northern Syria The autonomous Sanjak of Alexandretta was added to the state of Aleppo in 1923. The capital was the northern city of Aleppo. France united the states of Aleppo and Damascus into the State of Syria in 1925.

State of Damascus
The State of Damascus was a French mandate from 1920 to 1925. The capital was Damascus.

Alexandretta and Hatay
The Sanjak of Alexandretta became an autonomous province of Syria in 1921.
In 1923, Alexandretta was attached to the State of Aleppo, and in 1925 it was directly attached to the French mandate of Syria, still with special administrative status. The sanjak was given autonomy in November 1937 in an arrangement brokered by the League.
In 1938, the Turkish military went into the Syrian province and expelled most of its Arab and Armenian inhabitants. The French-Turkish treaty settling the status of the Sanjak was signed, but in September 1938, was proclaimed the Sanjak of Alexandretta as the Hatay State, taking as an excuse that rioting had broken out between Turks and Arabs.
The republic lasted for one year under joint French and Turkish military supervision. The name Hatay itself was proposed by Atatürk and the government was under Turkish control. In 1939, following a popular referendum, the Hatay State became a Turkish province.


PART II:STAMPS OF THE MANDATE REGION

Unique stamps were issued in the region, Highlighting the Historical Events described above, and beyond.
I will cover them all in a series of write ups and illustrate the specialized collections for each Area:
I am also working on the French Offices in the Ottoman Empire which will be the subject of a separate (overlapping maybe) analysis:


Pre Mandate
1. Stamps of Ile Rouad 1915-1920
2. Stamps of Cilicia 1919-1921
3. Stamps of the Arabian Kingdom or Arabian Government 1918-1920.
Mandate Era
4. Stamps of the Alaouite State 1925-1936
5. Stamps of Latikia 1930-1936
6. Stamps of Alexandretta 1938
7. Stamps of Hatay 1939
8. Stamps of Greater Lebanon 1924-1926
9. Stamps of Lebanese Republic (under french Mandate) 1926-1944
10. Stamps of Syria 1919-1934
11. Stamps of Syrian Republic (under French Mandate) 1934-1942
WWII Era
12. Stamps of Free French Administration Military Occupation of Syria 1942-1943


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. STAMPS OF ILE ROUAD 1915-1916

This small island south of Latakia off the coast of Syria was the first point of French Occupation in the Middle east. On Sept 1, 1915, the island was taken by the French Navy. It was meant to offer strategic and economic support to the Maronite Christians of Mount Lebanon who were oppressed by the Ottoman Empire, suffering massacres and famine. Rouad was an excellent center to gather intelligence in the area, and as WWI was winding to a close, it was used as a staging area for the Allied troups which resulted in the taking of Damascus on October 1, 1918.

Rouad is attached to the French portion of the Occupied territories in 1919, and in September 1920 it became part of the Alouites State.

In the spring of 1916 a civilian post office opened and Rouad got its own stamps, French Levant ones overprinted Ile Rouad. These were replaced in 1919 by the general issues of French Occupied Syria (T.E.O).
The first 1916 overprints were locally hand-stamped (and a speculation of the stamp dealer Felix Cohen). The definitive overprints arrived around November 1916.

All the stamps of Rouad is shown below. As far as I can tell, there were just 18 separate stamps issued.




End of Part 1.

 
10 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

youpiao

20 Jul 2016
02:26:07am

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

Great article, Ralph.

Ted

Login to Like
this post

Framley

20 Jul 2016
09:50:57pm

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

Very interesting piece. Especially to someone like me who is totally unfamiliar with the region.

Looking forward to future postings.

Many Thanks

Login to Like
this post

TuskenRaider

21 Jul 2016
06:13:44pm

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

Hi Everyone;

@ Ralph;

Great history stuff, thank you for your hard work on this. I've always been fascinated by history of the Mediterranean area; North Africa, Southern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Also fascinated by the history of ancient places in the Middle East going back thru pre-Christian and Egyptian history. Also areas that interest me are Mesopotamia Babylonia, ancient Iraq, and Persia.

John Romer has excellent videos available thru PBS, about the history of the Bible. He is a religious historian, who is a great storyteller and ties all his material together with archeology, geography and historical facts. I'm a HUGE fan of his and this whole area of study.

The threads are a great idea, but how about publishing that as articles, and with more stamp scans. That page of stamps for Rouad is awesome! Even better would be an index in your first article, with active links to additional chapters of this series of articles.

Has anyone ever published a book or website of this kind of material? Have you read any of Bobstamp's web articles? They are a really fascination and fun read.

I think that anything worthy of this much effort should be publish as a actual print media book. It would be something that stamp collectors and historians alike would enjoy reading and keeping for their research library.

Here is a fantasy trip for you; a collector joins SOR because he read your book and in the preface to that book is mentioned that you are a long-time member of SOR. How cool would that be?

Sorry Ralph for taking this so far off topic....didn't mean too tho, just that your article got me to thinking about that whole area of rich history.

Just thinkin' too much again....
TuskenRaider

 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

Dear Sir;
it is interesting to read about this region and era with all sophisticated issues. you did great job and looking for more to read.
you mentioned that Druz did not have any issue, I have a point need to clarify, since about 6 months hear about 4 stamps released by Druz and found it on Ebay. I need you opinion if it is forgery or genius?
best regards

 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

AirmailEd

18 Dec 2016
07:34:44pm

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

re: Stamps of the French Mandate Area for Syria and Lebanon, Part 1. Ile ROUAD

Dear Sir;
I know personally the administrator of Facebook post, His name is Marc from France, dealer of scarce Syrian/Lebanese old stamps.
that set of Douroze mountain was issued by local authorities in area after giving France to them some kind of independence at 1921, not mentioned in any reference.

Login to Like
this post