Veliky Novgorod Kremlin | Russia

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Situated on the ancient trade route between Central Asia and northern Europe, Veliky Novgorod was Russia's first capital in the 9th century. Surrounded by churches and monasteries, it was a centre for Orthodox spirituality as well as Russian architecture.

 

The Novgorod Kremlin is the most ancient out of the preserved Kremlins in Russia, first mentioned in the chronicle of 1044. Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings is a Unesco World Heritage site.

In medieval time it was the largest centre of international commerce and was the only Hanseatic city of Russia.

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Struve Geodetic Arc, Hogland Island | Russia

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The Struve Geodetic Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through ten countries and over 2,820 km. This helped to calculate the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping. The Struve is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites since 2005.

Both Russian triangulation points are situated on the small Hogland Island, located in the Gulf of Finland.  

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150 years of County Mail. A special service created for correspondence in areas that did not have government-mail. The first post office was established in the Zemstvo Vetluga County in 1865.

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Sucevița Monastery | Romania

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Located at the foothills of the Carpathian Moutains you find Sucevița Monastery.

This Orthodox Christian monastery was built in1581. Both interior and exterior walls are entirely decorated with mural paintings (frescoes).

Together with five other churches, inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites, as one of the Painted churches of Moldavia.

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Tioman Island | Malaysia

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Tioman Island is a small island located 30 km off the Malaysian coast. The natural beauty of the island is its biggest attraction. Lush tropical jungle covers about 12,000 hectares of the island. The waters around the island are filled with corals of all shapes and colours and home to a vast diversity of sea creatures, including two species of marine turtle. A popular spot for scuba diving.

 

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This amazing bird stamp is part of a set of three stamps issued 2015. This one depicts the Black-crowned night heron. In Malay language a Kuak and in Dutch a Kwak.  

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Lamma Island | Hong Kong

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Lamma Island is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Most of the 6,100 inhabitants live in Yung Shue Wan village. The peaceful and tranquil island is the opposite of bustling downtown Hong Kong. There are no cars on the island, and all apartments must be built with a maximum 700 square feet per floor.

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In 2013 Hong Kong Post issued a set of four stamps featuring the artwork of four local disabled artists. The value of the stamp is embossed on the stamp in Braille.

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Fruits and Vegetables in the Bahamas

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The Bahamas have excellent soil and a perfect warm climate, giving it some of the best conditions for growing produce in the world. The top fruits and vegetables grown in the Bahamas are cabbage cassava, peppers, avocado and banana.

 

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In 2014 the Bahamas celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems Centre (BNGIS). This 50 cent stamp is about hurricane distribution in the Bahamas in the period 1960-2012.

thx Pat!

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National Museum in Phnom Penh | Cambodia

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Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city in Cambodia. The National Museum is  the country's leading historical and archaeological museum. The museum houses one of the world's largest collections of Khmer art, including sculptural, ceramics, bronzes, and ethnographic objects. 

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Part of a set of four stamps, issued 2013 about ‘Khmer aspect’ (I guess something like everyday life). Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 15.2 million people in the country. 

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Ancient city of Bagan | Myanmar

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Bagan is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of  Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan. Bagan has an overwhelming number of 2,000 monuments, covering an area of 16 square miles.

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A stamp to celebrate the 27th Southeast Asian Games, held in Myanmar in 2013.

Thx Matthew!

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Kazakh eagle hunting

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The ancient art of eagle hunting is a traditional form of falconry practiced by Kazakh and Kyrgyz people in contemporary Kazakhstan. 

Eagle hunting was mainly practiced in the northern regions of Kazakhstan, while in the south hunters preferred to use hawks and falcons. Each bird was intended to hunt a particular type of animal.

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Kiyomizudera Temple Kyoto | Japan

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Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple in eastern Kyoto. The temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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Issued in 1998, part of a set of two stamps depicting traditional houses.

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Zen Rock Garden | Japan

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The Ryōan-ji garden is considered one of the finest surviving examples of kare-sansui ("dry landscape"), a refined type of Japanese Zen temple garden design, generally featuring distinctive larger rock formations arranged amidst a sweep of smooth pebbles (small, carefully selected polished river rocks) raked into linear patterns that facilitate meditation. (Thank you Wikipedia, couldn’t have explained it better, or ‘at all’). 

 

The temple and its gardens are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is one of the 17 Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Kinkaku-ji(the Golden Pavilion) is also one of these Kyoto monuments.

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The stamp on the left is issued by the Department of Tiny Stamps.

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The Medina of Sousse | Tunisia

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The Tunisian city of Sousse was once an important commercial and military port. With its kasbah, ramparts, medina, Bu Ftata Mosque and typical ribat (both a fort and a religious building), Sousse was part of a coastal defence system.

The Medina of Sousse is a World Heritage Site.

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Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba | Togo

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Koutammakou is the name of a wide semi mountainous area in North-East Togo, along the Beninese border. The area is home to the Batammariba whose remarkable mud tower-houses (Takienta) have come to be seen as a symbol of Togo.

 

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The stamp on the right depicts the cathedral of Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo.

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West Norwegian Fjords: Nærøyfjord | Norway

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Situated in south-western Norway, Nærøyfjord is part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape. In 2005, this spectacular fjord was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Geirangerfjord, located 120 km from one another. 

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West Norwegian Fjords: Geirangerfjord | Norway

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Situated in south-western Norway, Geirangerfjord is part of the west Norwegian fjord landscape. The fjord is among the world’s longest and deepest. The deep blue Geirangerfjord is surrounded by majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks, wild waterfalls and lush, green vegetation. The fjord is one of Norway's most visited tourist sites.

In 2005, Geirangerfjord was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Nærøyfjord, located 120 km from one another.

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A matching stamp on the right. The stamp on the left depicts Urnes Stave Church, another Unesco site in Norway. 

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Lednice Castle | Czech Republic

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The Lednice-Valtice Area is listed as a World Heritage site by Unesco. 

The fairy tale castle of Lednice is located in this 300km2 area. The origins of the castle dates back to the 13th century.

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Canal ring of Amsterdam | Netherlands

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Amsterdam is the most watery city in the world. Its canals and harbours fill a quarter of the city’s surface. The city has more than hundred kilometres of canals, about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. A great way to discover the “Venice of the North" is floating down the canals by boat.

In 2010 the canal ring area was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Clochán na bhFomhórach | Northern-Ireland

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Clochán na bhFomhórachis is Irish for Giant's Causeway. An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns  on the coast of Northern Ireland. This striking landscape was caused by volcanic activity during the Tertiary, some 50–60 million years ago.

After its discovery in the late 17th century, there was much argument as to whether the Causeway had been created by men with picks and chisels, by nature, or by the efforts of a giant. 

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Chersonesus, a Greek colony in Russia

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Chersonesus is an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2,500 years ago in the southwestern part of the Crimean Peninsula. The ancient ruins are on the list of Unesco World Heritage sites since 2013.   

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(right) Part of a set of four stamps about Russian Uniforms. 

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Naracoorte Caves National Park | Australia

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Naracoorte Fossil Mammal site is located in South Australia, about 320km from Adelaide. Discovered in 1969, the site covers 300 hectares and gives visitors a snapshot of Pleistocene life in south-east Australia. Only a small percentage of the site has been excavated yet.

 

Together with Riversleigh in North Australia, Naracoorte is a Unesco World Heritage site.

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Native animals of Australia, the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat (issue 2015).

Thank you very much Steve!

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Tide clock on St Margaret's Church in Kings Lynn | UK

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King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in Norfolk, about 100 miles from london. 

During the 14th century, Lynn ranked as England's most important port. Sea trade with Europe was dominated by the Hanseatic League of ports.

The clock (also known as the Moon Dial) is an unusual one for a church. It does not show the time, but shows the phases of the moon and also the next high and low tide at Lynn.  

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Hanseatic city of Pskov | Russia

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Pskov is one of the oldest cities in Russia. Located about 20 kilometers from the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. By the 14th century, the town functioned as the capital of a de facto sovereign republic. Its most powerful force was the merchants who brought the town into the Hanseatic League. 

 

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All stamps pictures the Pskov Kremlin.

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The pogost of Kizhi | Russian Federation

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The pogost of Kizhi is located on one of the many islands in Lake Onega, in Karelia. This historical site dates back to the 17th century. Two wooden churches and a clock tower can be seen there. All built in wood. The pogost is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.  

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The 50th Anniversary of the First Spacewalk by Alexey Leonov (issued 2015). He was the first man to "walk" in space on March 18, 1965.

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Holy Trinity Church in Zhovkva | Ukraine

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Zhovkva is a city in western Ukraine. The wooden Holy Trinity Church built in 1720 was listed in 2013 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Inscribed together with 15 other wooden Tserkvas in Poland and Ukraine.

In Slovakia another eight of these wooden churches are on the Unesco list. In the Russian Federation, the pogost of Kizhi is on the list. Two 18th-century wooden churches, and an octagonal clock tower, also in wood and built in 1862, can be seen there. Another type of church on the list, but also completely made of wood, is the Saint Peter and PaulCathedral in Suriname.  

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The Lotus Mahal in Hampi | India

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Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka, India. It was one of the richest and largest cities in the world during its prime. The Lotus Mahal or Lotus Palace is the place where Rani (Queen) use to stay during summer. The palace is located among the ruins of Hampi.

The Group of Monuments at Hampi is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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The stamp on the left pictures Hasrat Mohani (1 January 1875 – 13 May 1951). Romantic Poet, journalist, politician and parliamentarian of British India. He was a freedom fighter and never accepted British rule over India.

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