General View of Damascus with the Umayyad Mosque Minaret (1937)

CA55

Country: Syria

Issue: Airmail – Umayyad Mosque and Airplane – 10 Piastres

Date of Issue: 1937

Postmark: Circular cancel – Damas – 7.12.37

Postcard: Black-and-white photographic view titled “Damas. Vue générale”. It shows a panoramic perspective of Damascus with the Umayyad Mosque prominently in the foreground. The mosque’s long colonnaded courtyard wall occupies the lower part of the image, leading to its tall minaret rising above the cityscape. Behind it, numerous flat-roofed buildings extend toward the horizon, framed by distant hills. The caption is in French, and the publisher is not identified.

Justification of Maximum Concordance:

The stamp depicts the Umayyad Mosque along with an airplane, symbolizing air mail service, while the postcard illustrates the same mosque in detail as the dominant architectural feature. The cancellation from Damascus, dated within the stamp’s valid postal period, ensures strong thematic, geographic, and temporal concordance. This combination meets the criteria for a valid maximum card.

Panoramic View of Damascus with the Umayyad Mosque

 

PA83

Country: Syria
Issue: Mosque of Damascus – 10 Piastres
Date of Issue: 1938
Postmark: Circular cancel – Damas R.P. – 11.1.38
Postcard: Black-and-white photographic view titled “Damas – Vue générale du centre de la Ville”. It shows a panoramic perspective of Damascus with numerous flat-roofed buildings in the foreground and middle ground. Dominating the center is the Umayyad Mosque (Great Mosque of Damascus), identifiable by its large dome and two slender minarets rising above the urban landscape. In the background, mountains frame the horizon. The postcard includes French captioning and was published by an unknown editor.
Justification of Maximum Concordance:
The stamp illustrates the Umayyad Mosque, a major religious and architectural landmark of Damascus. The postcard provides a general city view where the same mosque is clearly visible as the focal point, reinforcing the thematic subject. The cancellation from Damascus, dated within the stamp’s valid postal period, ensures strong geographic and temporal concordance. This combination satisfies the criteria for a valid maximum card.

Umayyad Mosque – Damascus (1938)

 

Country: Syria
Issue: Mosque of Damascus – 10 Piastres
Date of Issue: 1938
Postmark: Circular cancel – Damascus – 18.2.38
Postcard: Color illustration of the Umayyad Mosque (Great Mosque of Damascus), showing its domed structure flanked by two slender minarets, with a courtyard and fountain in the foreground, surrounded by trees. Published by an unknown editor.

Justification of Maximum Concordance:
The stamp depicts the Umayyad Mosque, one of the most significant religious and architectural landmarks in Damascus. The postcard illustrates the same mosque in detail, reinforcing the subject visually. The cancellation from Damascus, applied during the stamp’s valid postal period, ensures strong thematic and geographic concordance, making this a valid maximum card.

Azem Palace – Ottoman Heritage in Damascus

 

Country: Syria

Issue: Palais Azem – Damascus (Orange 1 Piastre Stamp, 1937 Issue)

Date of Issue: 1937

Postmark: Circular Date Stamp (CDS) – “DAMAS 1” with Arabic characters and date in the Islamic calendar “8.1237” (corresponding to 1937 in the Gregorian calendar). The mark indicates origin in Damascus, ensuring geographic authenticity.

Postcard: Monochrome sepia, showing the interior of the Azem Palace in Damascus, with traditional arcades, a central fountain, and a minaret in the background. Printed text at the top: “DAMAS — Intérieur du Palais Azem.”

Justification of Maximum Concordance:

This maximum card shows strong thematic concordance: both the 1937 Syrian stamp and the postcard image represent the Azem Palace, an architectural icon of Damascus. The “DAMAS 1” cancellation reinforces geographic appropriateness, as it corresponds to the depicted city and the location associated with the stamp’s theme. The dating in Arabic characters confirms the contemporaneity of the issue, ensuring temporal concordance.