PARA

Lord Carnarvon's explorations in the Valley of the Kings unearthed a treasure far beyond his fondest hopes. It was just like going up into the dusty old attic, opening the musty dilapidated trunk to gaze upon bundles and bundles of letters of the '47-'60 vintage bearing everything from 5c New Yorks to the 30c grilled all over.

His Lordship did not live to see the final acts in the drama of opening up Tut-Ankh-Amen's tomb, succumbing, it is romantically said, to the evil charm of the dead Pharaoh.

We cannot all discover the mummy of an Emperor, nor come upon Philatelic treasure trove, but on Egypt's stamps is writ the history of the ages from the eternally questioning Sphinx of forgotten authorship down to his present majesty King Fuad.

Egypt's first issues betoken the suzerainty of Turkey, its later ones the growing importance of French and British influence. The Pictorial issue of 1906 does not forsake the familiar Sphinx nor Cheop's Pyramids, but, strangely blended with these tokens of antiquity, there is exhibited that marvel of modern engineering, the Assouan Dam. Oddly enough, we seek in vain for picturization of the famous Suez Canal on Egypt's postal issues.

Britain's recognition of limited nationality for Egypt in 1922 led to the overprinting of the then current series with the crown of the incoming dynasty. Recently there has been appearing a new set showing in attractive guise the portrait of King Fuad, the successor of the Pharaohs.