Historical Glimpse Post at Present Time Importance of Post as a Communication Tool Future Prospects

Overview Historical Glimpse Post at Present Time Importance of Post as a Communication Tool Future Prospects Historical Glimpse History of postage in Bahrain goes back to 1884, when postal services started with a post office in Manama for many years until a second branch office was opened in Muharraq in 1946. In 1950 a third office was opened in Awali as an independent Post Office for BAPCO.  At the early stage, the country stamps were identified by over-printing “Bahrain”, until 1933 when pre-printed stamp with the name Bahrain was introduced. This stamp was used until 31st of March 1948 including short period of autumn 1947 when Bahrain Post Office was managed by the Pakistani Government in Karachi.  1948 (1st April) – (England Post) took over postal agencies from Pakistan, and a postal supervisor for the Gulf agencies was stationed in Bahrain. During that period, Bahrain stamps had never exceeded 5 rupees until July 1949 when the 10 rupees stamp was introduced.  1953 – The first collection of local Bahraini stamp with the denomination of 1 ½ anna was introduced which carried a picture of the late Sh. Salman bin Hammad Al Khalifa ruler of Bahrain. The purpose of issuing those stamps was to use them for local postage but also they were used also for international mail. This was the first step of Bahrain taking over the full mail service from Britain Top of page 1961 - a new collection of stamps were issued carrying the picture of the late Sh. Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and in spite of the withdrawal of all the British stamps which had  “Bahrain” overprint, they remained legal and in use including the stamps that had pictures of King George VI with the “anna” denomination.  1962- additional collection of Bahraini stamps with new design was issued, as the stamps of the denomination of 5 “paisa” was used as a rate for the local publication and the stamps denomination of 10 “paisa” was used for the 1st Class local postage and the 40 “paisa”, for the registered postage. And there was no need at that time for 20 “paisa” stamps.  1964 - A new batch of stamps was issued with the pictures of the late His Highness Sh. Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain, which showed picture of Bahrain International Airport and Mina Salman as per the independence of postal services on January 1964.  1973 (22nd December) – Bahrain joined the International Postal Union after being accepted as a new member of the United Nations when gained independence.  1986 (1st of May) - Bahrain became a member of the Arab Postal Union.  Bahrain is one of the countries which established the Gulf Postal Organization.  Note about the old currency: 1 rupee = 100 paisa 1 anna = 12 paisa Paisa was the smallest denomination and is equivalent to a Fils in the current currency. Top of page Post at Present Time During the reign of His Highness, the late Sheik Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, big development and progress took place in Bahrain in many sectors, including postal services which progressed in variety and quality provided through several new post offices. Many internationally known services and additional new services have been provided to serve individuals, the government and establishments to the highest levels of service quality and convenience through cooperation with other countries and international organizations. In addition to the expansion of the number of convenient services, the Postal Directorate also has been expanding geographically by establishing Post Offices in many areas of the island as gateways to serve the customers near their locations. Distribution and sorting of Local and international mail from and to post offices are carried through the Sorting Center in Muharraq which acts as the focal point of all postal items organized through proper distribution system. Post Office Established Date Manama Post Office 1st August 1884 Muharraq Post Office 1st June 1946 Awali Post Office 1st July 1950 Riffa 9th October 1980 Duraz ( Cancelled ) 12th September 1981 Budaiya 4th October 2003 Airport 1st April 1984 Hidd 16th June 1984 Diplomatic Area 17th May 1986 Isa Town 13th November 1986 Adliya 15th November 1987 Hamad Town 9th October 1988 Central Market 26th December 1989 Bahrain Complex 11th June 2002   Top of page Importance of Post as Communication Tool Postal services are the main and least expensive method of sending various written types of communication, such as letters, memos, publication, reports to many destinations while maintaining confidentiality in transit. Mail is considered one of the infrastructure projects that our economy depends on in achieving developments in the following fields:  Economical developments: Prepare a suitable environment for investment. Promotion of goods and services Employment of national workforce. Contribution in developing various industries.  Social developments: Facilitation of correspondence among families & friend. Facilitation of social information such as education and health. Strengthening social ties locally and internationally. Highlighting the heritage and culture of the country. Future Prospects The future prospects and strategies for postal services are as follow: Continue the policy in progressing along with the urban development in the country. Keep up with the fast technological development. Automate all postal services and providing information systems for the operations. Convert Post Offices to service centers for providing public and private services to customers in coordination with the concerned establishment in the country. Contribute in simplifying and facilitating the provision of government services through postal services. Top of page