Q95 September, 2011   member 636   Quartier Arabe / Port Said I have two sizes of Arab Quarter (Quartier Arabe) cancels for Port Said. Would these be the only two, and did any other towns have the same? There is no mention in Peter Smith’s book. The larger, on the Salt Tax stamp, dated January 1896, is 28mm. The smaller, dated May 1902, is 26mm. The Arabic characters differ visually quite radically

Reply member 240 Though you are right in saying that the Arabic characters differ visually, they do in fact say precisely the same thing, using the Arabic phrase for Arab Quarter. The larger says Port Said (Bur Said, actually) above Hai el Arab; the smaller says Hai el Arab above Bur Said. Interestingly, Port Said / Hai el Arab is listed in the few Postal Guides references I have seen between 1911 and 1932, but in 1935 it becomes Qism Sani (ie, Second District). This was probably in fact the same post office (Class 2, like Hai el Arab).