Lebanon — Stamps & Postal Service

Postal Service Overview

LibanPost is Lebanon’s national postal operator, a privatised company operating under government licence. Lebanon’s philatelic history begins with French mandate stamps of 1924 (overprinted French Syrian stamps), followed by Lebanon’s own issues from 1925 under French administration. Independent Lebanese stamps appeared from 1943. Lebanon’s stamps reflect the country’s extraordinary heritage: the ancient Phoenician civilization (which invented the alphabet), Crusader castles, Beirut’s cosmopolitan culture, and the Cedar of Lebanon — the biblical tree that is Lebanon’s national symbol.

Notable Stamp Issues

Lebanon’s first stamps under the French mandate were Syrian stamps overprinted “Grand Liban” (Greater Lebanon). Lebanon’s own design stamps from 1925 depicted Beirut Harbour, the Byblos ruins, and landscape views. The Cedar of Lebanon definitives — one of history’s most iconic tree stamps — became Lebanon’s philatelic signature. Phoenician heritage stamps featuring ancient glass-blowing, purple dye (Tyre was the source of Tyrian purple), and the alphabet are popular with ancient history collectors. Post-civil war Lebanese stamps (1990s–present) document reconstruction and cultural revival.

Collecting Tips

Scott Asia catalogue covers Lebanese stamps. French mandate period stamps (1924–1943) require knowledge of French colonial overprinting practice. Lebanon’s airmail stamps from the 1930s–1940s are popular with early aviation collectors — Beirut was a major Middle Eastern air hub. Cedar of Lebanon stamps are popular with forestry and tree thematic collectors. Phoenician heritage stamps attract ancient civilisation collectors. Lebanon’s Baalbek temple ruins (one of the ancient world’s grandest Roman sites) appear on many stamps.

Part of the Asia Postal Directory.