Postage stamps of Irad
Postage stamps of Irad have been issued since 2004, first by the Territorial Postal Service and since 2008 by Irad Pochtasy, the state postal enterprise of the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ). Because Irad is not a member of the Universal Postal Union, its stamps are valid only on domestic mail; postage on letters abroad is paid at the counter and printed on a label.[1][2]
History
The first pictorial stamp, issued on 24 August 2004, the Feast of St. Janyl, marked the inscription of the Church of St. Janyl and the ruins of Old Iyık Janyl on the World Heritage List. Its value was 37 US cents, for letters to the United States sent through the air base, and it was valid until the air-base mail exchange ended in 2007.[1][3]
A 5-som courier definitive was printed in Kobozev for the Democratic Republic of Irad and was due on sale on 26 February 2007. After the ISEZ was proclaimed the day before, the sheets were withdrawn and pulped. A few copies reached the market in the 2010s, but the Philatelic Bureau does not sell or value them.[1]
Irad Pochtasy's first stamps, a definitive series of 1, 4, 8 and 20 som showing the galloping courier of its emblem, went on sale on Irad Day, 11 March 2008, the day the service took its new name. They have been reprinted many times and remain on sale.[1][3] Since then it has issued a commemorative every year or two, often on Irad Day or a feast day.
Issues
| Date | Subject | Values |
|---|---|---|
| 24 August 2004 | Church of St. Janyl, World Heritage | 37 US cents |
| 12 February 2007 | Courier definitive of the Democratic Republic (not issued) | 5 som |
| 11 March 2008 | Definitives: the courier | 1, 4, 8, 20 som |
| 1 November 2009 | The State Emblem (Emblem of Irad) | 20 som |
| 22 June 2014 | Silk Roads: Rabat-i-Safed | 12 som |
| 11 March 2018 | The Governor and Zharkyn | 20 som |
| 14 September 2019 | Horses of Irad: the Akyel | 12 som |
| 21 June 2021 | Music of Irad: the komuz | 8 som |
| 15 May 2022 | Fauna of the Talas Alatau: the ibex | 8 som |
| 24 August 2024 | Feast of St. Janyl | 12 som |
| 11 March 2026 | The Year of the Horse | 8, 20 som |
| 15 December 2026 (forthcoming) | Toktogul: 1,440 megawatts | 12 som |
The 2018 issue, showing Governor Erlan Toktarov with his stallion Zharkyn after a race in 2014, was the most used commemorative of its decade.[1] The Horses of Irad series continued with the Chongtor in 2020. The 2026 Year of the Horse pair, a bay horse under the Pole Star and a gray mare with her foal, marks the start of a new twelve-year cycle (see Iradi calendar), and the Toktogul stamp marks the refit of the Toktogul Hydroelectric Complex.[1]
Collecting
The Philatelic Bureau, at counter 1 of the Talas Central Post Office, sells current issues at face value, first-day covers, presentation folders and an annual year set, and publishes a bulletin for each issue and a catalogue of all issues since 2004. It does not accept orders from abroad.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Irad Pochtasy (2026). 'Stamps of Irad.' post.iradgov.org. Talas. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- ^ Irad Pochtasy (2026). 'Mail abroad and from abroad.' post.iradgov.org. Talas. Retrieved 22 October 2026.
- ^ Irad Pochtasy (2026). 'About Irad Pochtasy.' post.iradgov.org. Talas. Retrieved 22 October 2026.