Archaeological site of Yaxha, Guatemala

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Yaxha is a archaeological site in the northeast of the Petén Basin region, and a former ceremonial center and city of the Maya civilization. It is located in the modern-day department of Petén, northern Guatemala between the Yahxá and Sacnab lakes.

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From a set of two stamps about The Volcano and Lake of Ipala.

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Old Town of Lijiang, China

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The world famous Old Town of Lijiang is located in Lijiang City. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. It is known as the Oriental Venice. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people.

In the background you see Mount Satseto known in Chinese as the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.

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Pre printed on the postcard.

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O'Hara's Battery - Gibraltar

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Named after General Charles O'Hara, Governor of Gibraltar from 1795-1802, there was originally a look out tower at the point we now call O'Hara's Battery.

The Governor believed if such a tower was built it would enable the Garrison to see Cadiz harbour and any ships heading towards Gibraltar.

After it was built and his theory was dashed it became known as O'Hara's Folly. The battery is the highest point of Gibraltar at 426 meters (1400ft approx). It was last fired in 1976.

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From a large set of 13 stamps with birds from Gibraltar: the Woodchat Shrike and the Eurasian Hoopoe.  

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Archbishop Makarios III monument, Cyprus

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Makarios III, original name Mikhail Khristodolou Mouskos (1913 – 1977), archbishop and primate of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus. He was a leader in the struggle for enosis (union) with Greece during the postwar British occupation, and, from 1959 until his death in 1977, he was the president of independent Cyprus.

Makarios III died unexpectedly, of a heart attack, on August 3, 1977. He is buried in a tomb on the mountain of Throni, a site he personally chose. The tomb is near Kykkos Monastery, where he served as a novice in the 1920s and 1930s.

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From a set of 3 stamps about Tall Ships, Galleon (issued 2011).

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Altai Mountains from Russia

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This card shows the Altai mountains. Located in East-Central Asia, where Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia come together.

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A stamp commemorating the centennial of birth of Marina Raskova (1912 -  1943). She was a famous Soviet navigator and later became one of over 800,000 women in the military service, founding three female air regiments which would eventually fly over 30,000 sorties in World War II.

Russian Kremlins - Kolomna Kremlin and Pskov Kremlin

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From Georgia: Bagrati Cathedral | ბაგრატის ტაძარი

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Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan.

The construction of Bagrati Cathedral, named after Bagrat III, the first king of united Georgia, started at the end of the 10th century and was completed in the early years of the 11th century. Although partly destroyed by the Turks in 1691, its ruins still lie in the centre of Kutaisi.

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2011 issue to commemorate 60 years UNHCR.

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Built by one man: Moussa Castle, Lebanon

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The Moussa Castle is not a typical castle in any way. It was projected and built by one man, Moussa Abdel Karim Al Maamari.

As a student he had a tough time. A poor student, he was beaten and mocked by his teacher who told him he would never amount to anything. Even his sweetheart ridiculed him, saying she would never marry him and that she planned to marry someone rich with a castle. It was at this moment that the dream took hold of Moussa's 14-year-old mind.

As a teenager, Moussa had the fortune to work with his uncle to restore a Lebanese castle. With the money he earned from restoring the castle and other museum work, a 20-year-old Moussa was able to begin work on what would become a lifelong project and obsession: his castle.

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Horsh Ehden is a Nature Reserve located in north Lebanon, it contains a particularly diverse and beautiful remnant forest of the Cedar of Lebanon, making the reserve a very important part of the country’s cultural and natural heritage.

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Greetings from London, Canada!

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London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom.  But this card is from Canada!

London is also a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor.

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From a set of four stamps about Canadian baby wildlife: Moose calves.

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Aren't they cute? Koalas from Australia.

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Australian Koalas are loved world-wide. Their gum-leaf diet is low in energy, so Koalas spend much of their time slumbering comfortably in the fork of a tree. A young Koala stays with its mother until it is about a year old, and often hitches a ride on her back.

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London 2012 Olympic games.

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La catedral de Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras

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Santa Rosa de Copan is located in the heart of mountainous western Honduras, near the border with Guatemala.

The history of Santa Rosa de Copan begins in 1765, when the Spanish colonial authorities established the "Real Factorma de Tabaco" (royal tobacco trading post) at what is now Santa Rosa.

Downtown Santa Rosa de Copan features cobblestone streets, restored clay-roofed Spanish-style buildings, and a charming colonial church.

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(left) Red Cross overprint stamp.

(right) A 2012 stamp to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Honduras and Korea.

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South Coast of São Jorge, Azores

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The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands form the Autonomous Region of the Azores, one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal. The other one is Madeira.

São Jorge is a relatively long thin island in the center of the Azores with tall cliffs, and a population of about 10,000.

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A label.

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A postcard from Elba, Italy

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“The Island of Elba, a green oasis within the Tuscan Archipelago, is an island of endless horizons: crystal clear water lapped by golden beaches, granite rocks standing out from the bush, stories of people blessed by the sun. Elba rewards you a variety of aspects all in one: its beaches and its cliffs, its winds, its land, its perfumes, its flavours, its hard working people, its hillside villages, and its terraces facing the sea are all but the start of a journey where you discover an island that will never disappoint you.”

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The stamp is dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the Officina Profumo pharmacies. The stamp depicts the Sales Hall of Officina Profumo - Pharmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella in Florence, one of the oldest pharmacies still active, designed in neo-Gothic style.

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A postcard from the city of Prishtina, Kosovo

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Kosovo declared independence on the 17th of February 2008. The small south east European state sits between Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. The capital of the Republic is Prishtina, a city of around 500,000 people. The population of Kosovo exceeds 2 million.

As of 1 June 2012, the Republic of Kosovo has received 93 diplomatic recognitions as an independent state.

“Western powers agreed to stop overseeing Kosovo in September 2012, four years after it proclaimed independence, but NATO troops and EU police will continue to monitor the former Serbian province still troubled by occasional ethnic violence.”

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Protection–Earth Day stamp from 2008.

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The oldest city in Central America: Granada, Nicaragua

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Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America. Bordering on Honduras in the North and Costa Rica in the South, in the South on Costa Rica, in to the West you will find on the impressive Pacific Ocean, and in the East you can enjoy the warm water of the Caribbean Sea.

“The most luxury hotel in Granada, La Gran Francia, is located cross of the Central Park in Granada. La Gran Francia is a splendid ancestral building whose existence historians argue dates back to the years immediately following the founding of Granada, in 1524. This architectural jewel was restored during the 1990's, recovering the majesty and splendor of its heyday and today housing Granada's finest hotel.”

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(left) From a set of 4 birdstamps (2004), a Social Flycatcher.    

(right) Miguel Obando y Bravo (1926) is a Nicaraguan prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of Managua from 1985 until his resignation on 12 March 2005. On 25 May 1985, he was selected by Pope John Paul II to be cardinal in Central America.

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Maracas beach Trinidad and Tobago

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Maracas Beach is a beach on the island of Trinidad. It is located on the north side of the island, an hour's mountainous drive from the capital city of Port of Spain.

Unlike many of the northern beaches of Trinidad, Maracas Beach is protected by a deep bay. It is one of the most well known beaches in the island of Trinidad as its considered by some to be the most beautiful beach of its size located closest to the capital city.

(source: Wikipedia)

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From a set of 5 stamps about local herbal medicine: Chandelier, Worm Grass and Black Sage.

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Four minarets from Bukhara | Buxoro, Uzbekistan

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The Char-Minar Madrassah was built in 1807 by Khalif Niazkul. He built the madrassah with a cozy courtyard and a pond, a summer mosque, and a four-turret building opening into the architectural complex.

Char-Minar means “the four minarets” in Tajik language. It draws attention to itself with its unusual architectural solution, the main focus of which is the four turrets with their sky blue cupolas, which have nothing in common with ordinary minarets.

The historic center of Bukhara, which contains numerous mosques and madrassas, has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

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From a set of four stamps 2011, golden heritage of Uzbekistan, a Lavh.

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Snow covered highlands from the Kingdom of Lesotho

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The Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, completely surrounded by its only neighbouring country, the Republic of South Africa.

Does it ever snow in Africa? One of the few places in Africa where there's regular snowfall and even a chance to ski. Lesotho is one of the coldest countries in Africa. During the coldest month, July, the temperatures range from -3 to 17 °C.

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(right) A Red Crossbill (1999 issue), a finch species.

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Ogasawara Islands: the Galapagos of the east

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The Ogasawara Islands are oceanic islands comprised of about 30 islands of various sizes. As they are in the ocean separated from Tokyo by about one thousand kilometers, a lot of uniquely evolved, endemic plants and animals are found on the islands.

Ogasawara Islands are said to have been discovered by Sadayori Ogasawara in 1593. The first immigrants were five Europeans and 15 Hawaiians who had come to Ogasawara in 1830.

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Cyprus: The absurdity of war...

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“Captain Jones, UN officer, stands at observation post Charlie Sierra 45 in Nicosia. The white line that demarcates no-man’s-land, goes through the building, which was once an inhabited house. On the left of the line lies one side of the divided island; to the right the other.“

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The Cornich Beirut from Lebanon

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The Corniche Beirut is a seaside promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. Lined with palm trees, the waterfront esplanade offers visitors a magnificent view of the Mediterranean and the summits of Mount Lebanon to the east.

                                                                  (source: wikipedia)

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Famous Lebanese singer Fayrouz.

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A Postcard from the West Indies: Jamaica

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Jamaica is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about 145 kilometres south of Cuba, and 191 kilometres west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states of Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

“The tender sounds of waves caressing the shoreline lovingly is just one hallmark of the Doctors Cave Beach in Montego Bay.  The clean, blue and clear therapeutic water  awaits anyone who desires to be relieved of body impurities and longing for a sense of wellness.  The Doctor’s Cave beach is certainly one of Jamaica’s best and most famous beaches which was incidentally Montego Bay’s first tourist attraction.”

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Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, (1945 – 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician.

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