When I think of Morocco, I immediately flash onto richly coloured spices, tantalising food and a vibrant history. When it comes to philately, there is so much to consider with each stamp. One of the pleasurable by-products of exploring the 2021 program, was discovering new artists to appreciate. I spent many pleasurable hours looking up Moroccan stamp artists and designers, and by accident found an entire world of art I had never learned about. Hopefully some of that work will be reflected in better information about Barid Al-Maghrib’s creators.
If you are interested in painters and designers from the Arab world, check out VOSARTISTES.COM. It became an invaluable resource for me, especially when pulling together this program. I’m still struggling with artist names because they don’t always translate correctly into English and I stumble over the variations. If I’ve made a mistake in any of them, please leave corrections in the comments.
So, what was my favourite from last year? Initially, I thought it would be the June “SCREENS” by El Batoul Bargach & H’Hammed Jirari.
As much as I loved the pair, after looking at the full 2021 program over and over, I gradually switched to Abbes Saladi Retrospective.
Why? It’s one of those things I can’t put into words. I just like it. Each time I look at Saladi’s art, I find something new to examine. Saladi challenges me and I just love that. Prior to the stamp, I had never encountered his art. This page Abbes Saladi (moroccanpaintings.com), has a brief bio and this article, [Expo] But who was Abbes Saladi? – Diptyk Magazine does a quick dive into his style and will give you a bit of a grounding in Saladi’s world. So, yea, this was definitely the best of the year.
I have made an small start in including Arabic in some of the titles but it is ]slow going. Please be patient. Eventually, I’ll include the artist names as well. I tend to plod along with this task, but when I get it right, it’s deeply satisfying. If you can lend a hand in adapting some of the titles and names, I’d appreciate the help.
Enjoy another year of Morocco’s stamps
Cheers
Catpaw
January
10th anniversary of the Rabat Zoological Garden حَدِيْقَة ٱلْحَيْوَانَات بِٱلرِّبَاط
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset lithography
The gardens officially opened January 9, 2012.
In addition to its recreational role, the institution has consolidated during its ten years of existence, its position as a platform for wildlife conservation, scientific research and environmental education, by implementing a strategy for the management of animal collection and more specifically species extinct in the wild in their natural environments or threatened with extinction. As such, the zoological garden has been able to preserve the Atlas lion, endemic and emblematic species of Morocco by maintaining a founding drowning of about forty lions, which ensure regular reproduction at the rate of 2 births per year. Product: 10th anniversary of the Rabat Zoological Garden (philatelie.ma)
Release date: January 14, 2022
March
Morocco-Serbia Joint Issue : Bridges
2 stamps, 1 FDCs, cancel
multi-colour offset
Official relations were established March 2, 1957
- New Road-Railway Bridge over the Danube in Novi Sad
- Cable-stayed Mohammed VI Bridge VI in Rabat
Designers:
Miroslav Nikolić (Vrla Bridge)
Said Azarkan (Mohammed VI bridge)
Release date: March 1, 2022
International Women’s Day 2022
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
IWD: About International Women’s Day (internationalwomensday.com)
Designer: Fatima Zahra al-Hilali
Release date: March 9, 2022
Moroccan female personalities
New Series: Moroccan Female Personalities
3 stamps, FDC, cancel
offset lithography
- Malika EL FASI مليكة الفاسي, (1919 –2007), Independence Activist
“the dynamo of the Movement for the Advancement of Moroccan Women in the 1940s and 1950s. She called for the integration of girls into modern life and allow them to continue their higher education, especially at Qaraouiyine University.” and the only woman who signed the 1944 Independence Manifesto. Malika El Fassi, the only woman signatory of the Independence Manifesto (yabiladi.com) - Fatima MERNISSI فاطمة مرنيسي (1940-2015), Sociologist, writer, feminist and founding member of Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights
About Fatema — Fatema Mernissi - Touria CHAOUI ثريا الشاوي (1936-1956) First Female Moroccan Pilot. Assassinated 1956. She was the first female pilot in the Arab word – 1952.
Flying alone, high above the storm, much higher than she’d ever flown before, Touria performed the required maneuvers and landed with a perfect score. Two months shy of her fifteenth birthday, she became the first Moroccan civil pilot in history, and the first aviatrix in the Maghreb. Newspapers across the country hailed her as a hero, and one of her biggest admirers, the Sultan Mohamed Ben Yousef, invited her and Abdelwahed to the palace to meet. The Amazing Aviatrix of Wartime Casablanca (narratively.com)
Designer: Salaheddine Chaou and Mohammed Baba
Release date: March 23, 2022
June
50th Anniversary Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP)
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
Barid Al-Maghrib issues Hassania School of Public Works postage stamp (moroccotimes.tv)
Designer: Mohammed El Ouanti
El Ouanti designed the 2021 stamps World Day of Workplace Health & 50th Anniversary of Thor Heyerahl’s Ra II Expedition
Release date: June 9, 2022
July
Bank of the Maghrib Museum, 20th Anniversary
1 stamp
offset
The museum houses over 30,000 numismatic items, including coins and banknotes. Over 800 works of art are exhibited as well. The Art Gallery has a section devoted to new, up and coming Moroccan artists. It opened June 19, 2002.
BANK AL-MAGHRIB (bkam.ma) (Available in English, French and Arabic)
Release date: July 1, 2022
EUROMED – Ancient Cities of the Mediterranean – Tétouan تطوان
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage in 1997.
Tétouan was of particular importance in the Islamic period, from the 8th century onwards, since it served as the main point of contact between Morocco and Andalusia. After the Reconquest, the town was rebuilt by Andalusian refugees who had been expelled by the Spanish. This is well illustrated by its art and architecture, which reveal clear Andalusian influence. Although one of the smallest of the Moroccan medinas, Tétouan is unquestionably the most complete and it has been largely untouched by subsequent outside influences. Medina of Tétouan (formerly known as Titawin) – UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Designer: Said el Hbicha
Hbicha Said – VOSARTISTES.COM
Release date: July 11, 2022
October
Marrakech Declaration 2020 on combating violence against women
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
Release date: October 10, 2022
HM King Mohammed VI
2 stamps on 2 sheets of 10
Release date: October 25, 2022
November
47th Anniversary of the Green March
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
The Green March: A defining milestone in Moroccan history (thebftonline.com)
Designer: Faissal Ben Kiran
Release date: November 6, 2022
130th anniversary of the establishment of Makhzen Post
2 stamps, multiple FDCs & post mark cancels
14 postmarks were issued for each of the original cities on the 1891 route.
Post Office In 1891, Sultan Moulay Hassan I learned that foreigners were going to set up a local post office operating between Al Jadida (Mazagan) and Marrakech. He then gave his orders for the creation of two post offices as a test, linking Al Jadida and Marrakech. Once this experiment was successful, the Sultan decided to generalize it on 13 cities: Fez, Tetouan, Larache, Tangier, Meknes, Lksar Elkbeir, Rabat, Casablanca, Azemmour, Al Jadida, Safi, Essaouira and Marrakech.
On 02 Jumada Al-Awwal 1310/22 November 1892, Sultan Moulay Hassan I issued Dahirs setting the rules of organization and functioning of the postal administration and inter-city postal links. Product: 130th anniversary of the creation of Poste Makhzen:City of LARACHE (philatelie.ma)
Release date: November 22, 2022
December
60th Anniversary Mohammed V Theater
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset
Designer: Ahmad Ma`anan
Release date: December 12, 2022
See all the stamps from Morocco 2021 stamps
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