Page 9 - Russo-Persian Postal Relations

I.A.l Russian Consular Postal Service at Tabriz Pre-UPU
Two periods: Existed between 1860s-1877. Reestablished between 1914-18

Russian Consular postal services from NW Persia to Russia predated the Persian postal services to
abroad that started only in Dec1877 when Persia joined the General Postal Union(GPU /UPU) and Russia
then ended this service. Mail was probably taken in consular bag to be cancelled at Julfa border station
by the Russian PO that had opened early 1866. Note: The Russian mail services had little or no
relationship with the very rudimentary Persian postal system before 1877. The same during WWI
Letter sent from Tabriz 1867 to Tiflis, Georgia. Russian foreign rate
10 kopek applied
A rectangular marking "TABRIZ+ date" in Russian, assumed to have been used by the Russia
Consular Postal services

I
/
f/~ ,,,
I / _, 7
I ,
;
1/

-~ .. -

Rates: 10 kopek to abroad. A 10-kopek stamp of 1864/5 issue was applied
Routes: M/s Tabriz 14 August 1867 to Tiflis in Georgia, Russia via the border town of Julfa
Markings: The rectangular obliterator in Russian reads "TABRIZ 19 AUG 1867" (Julian), together with
a cyrillic straight line "DESPATCHED FROM JULFA 24 AUG 1867" in Russian
Also a truncated "870" cancel applied on the stamp. Whether the postmark was applied already in Tabriz
or only at J ulfa is still debated. Most probably though at Julfa
This is the earliest of the three recorded Russian letters via the Russian consular Post Office in Tabriz
Certificate Holcombe
~
206