Bulgaria issued pre-stamped postcard on 50 Years of Pakistan-Bulgaria Friendship 2015

A magnificent collector item for the collectors of Pakistan-related or Bulgaria-related philatelic items. Bulgaria issued a pre-stamped postcard on 22 June 2015 on the eve of "50 Years of Friendship between Pakistan and Bulgaria".

Thanks a lot to Alex in Bulgaria for sending this beautiful limited edition postcard - written and stamped from Bulgaria on 19 April 2017.

 The 0.40 (Bulgarian Lev) pre-stamped design on the postcard with first day cancellation.

 This coloured design was printed on the bottom left corner of the postcard. The text in Bulgarian says "50 Years of Friendship between Pakistan and Bulgaria".

The stamp used on the postcard shows a mushroom - Russula Virescens. It is the highest denomination stamp from a set of 4 mushroom stamps issued in 2014.

Above pic shows the written text on the back side of the card, written on 18 April 2017.

The above Bulgarian text (Printed vertically in the center of the card) reads: "Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Post" (As per Google Translate)

My Favourite Postcard - Pakistan Flag Card from United Nations Headquarters in New York

Today I am sharing one of my favourite and most-beloved postcards from my collection.
The postcard shows the National Flag of "Pakistan" - The Most Beautiful Country in the World!

The country name is written twice on the front bottom of the card ... with the United Nations emblem in the centre.
In fact the postcard has been bought from the United Nations Headquarters Souvenir Shop in New York by a very dear friend Nan on my special request.

Three beautiful stamps are pasted at the back for posting ... with the United Nations postmarks on them. The three stamps feature the following UNESCO World Heritage Site Stamps:-

• Ayutthaya, Thailand - 2015
• The Great Wall, China - 2013
• Lednice-Valtice, Czech Republic - 2016

Indeed a beauty to have it in my collection!

May Allah Almighty bless Pakistan with ultimate peace and prosperity! Aameen!

Happy Woman's Day POSTCARD LOTTERY

Happy Woman's Day POSTCARD LOTTERY!
On this big day, this lottery is exclusive for ladies (Sorry folks   - When is Happy Men's Day celebrated by the way?)
The 3 postcards will be sent to 3 different winners (Written and Stamped)
Write a number in sequence 1,2,3,4 and so on NUMBERS ARE TURNING OUT TO BE SLIGHTLY CONFUSING, SO JUST answer how in your opinion, Women's Day should be celebrated? AND I WILL NUMBER THE POSTS MYSELF !
For a valid entry, you have to give your answer in the COMMENT section below this post on the Blog ONLY.
Winner will be chosen  by random.org tomorrow (9.3.2014) at 12:00 GMT.
Have a blessed life!

 Postcard # 1

 Postcard # 2

 Postcard # 3

Pakistan Painting Postcard - Girls Sitting Together

Hi Pals!
Here's just another painting postcard from Pakistan to share with you.

I really like the smile on the face of the girl in pink dress. With the backdrop of Malala Yousafzai fame, this postcard becomes a real special one.
Just in case you do not know Malala Yousafzai's story, here's a re-cap.
Malala Yousafzai was a small girl living in Swat Valley which was under occupation of Taliban terrorists some years ago. While Talibans opposed girls' education, Malala raised her voice as a 9-year old and started writing her online diary at BBC Urdu Website, by the nick name of Gul Makai.

Malala Yousafzai

After a long and strenuous fight, Pakistan Army cleared Swat Valley from terrorist elements and life came back to normal. Malala Yousafzai became a national symbol of girl education and Pakistan's then Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani re-named Pakistan Peace Award as Malala Peace Award.
In Oct 2012, some Taliban miscreants stopped Malala's school van and fired at them from point blank ranges. Malala suffered a head injury along with some of her friends too. She remained under-treatment in Pakistan and then in England.
Lately Malala Yousafzai was invited by United Nations to address the Youth General Assembly on the eve of her 16th birthday. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the Ex-British PM Gordon Brown were also there to wish her a happy birthday.
Malala Yousafzai has definitely become a symbol of struggle against the oppressors and a source of inspiration for everyone around the globe.
Although the above postcard does not have any direct link with Malala's story but still these cute girls and their smiles make me think of them as small Malalas.
May God bless them with endless smiles and very happy lives. Amen!

P is for Pakistan Postcards

As a matter of fact, most of you must be knowing that this blog is dedicated to my postcards collection and taking part in ABC Wednesday is really fun especially when I came across the latest post, it was evident that today's post is dedicated to Postcards of my beloved PAKISTAN.
In this post, I shall share 3 of my favorite postcards with you, so that you can enjoy a glimpse of my beautiful Pakistan. To know more about these places, you can either click on the photo or visit the link at the bottom of the post.

K-2 is Pakistan's Highest Mountain and the World's 2nd Highest Mountain after the majestic Mount Everest. Standing tall at 8,611 meters, K-2 is a mighty mountain which is much more difficult to climb than its elder brother, Mount Everest.
As per Wikipedia: "K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the eight thousanders. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying. It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side. Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality-to-summit rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter."

Lahore Fort - One of Pakistan's marvellous pieces of architecture and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Danger.
You can read more at one of my previous posts here: Lahore Fort or at Wikipedia here: Lahore Fort at Wikipedia

Takht Bhai (or Takht Bahi) is a Buddhist monastic complex dating to the 1st century BCE. The complex is regarded by archaeologists as being particularly representative of the architecture of Buddhist monastic centers from its era. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
You can read more about these fascinating ruins at Ruins of Buddhist Monastery at Takht-e-Bahi, Swat Valley  in another post at my UNESCO blog.
Having said that its your turn to share your opinion in the comments section below. I would love to hear your thoughts about this post!!!

Kids of Hunza - A Postcard from North of Pakistan

Sharing a postcard after such a long time made me think that which postcard should I choose to share with my followers and friends. Finally I picked up this beautiful postcard as it is one of the most-favorite postcard on my Postcrossing profile by friends.
This cute postcard comes from the Northern part of Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan which is a beautiful place covered with mountains and valleys.

Hunza (Burushaski: ہنزہ, Urdu: ہنزہ‎) is a mountainous valley in the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Pakistan. The Hunza is situated north/west of the Hunza River, at an elevation of around 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). The territory of Hunza is about 7,900 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi). Aliabad is the main town, while Karimabad is a popular tourist destination because of the spectacular scenery of the surrounding mountains like Ultar Sar, Rakaposhi, Bojahagur Duanasir II, Ghenta Peak, Hunza Peak, Passu Peak, Diran Peak and Bublimotin (Ladyfinger Peak), all 6,000 metres (19,685 ft) or higher.

Buddhist Monastery and Ruins at Takht-i-Bahi

It is astonishing to know that people from oldest times were more civilized and well-behaved as compared to present times, keeping in mind the technological backwardness and lack of infrastructure. This magnificent piece of architecture of a Buddhist Monastery was discovered in 1st Century and it is quite well-preserved till date.

The complex consists of court of stupas, temple complex, monastical complex and residential cells. All rooms are well-constructed using bricks.
The irony of the time is that, even most of the Pakistanis do not know about this site or have not seen it themselves. A large majority has even not heard about it. It is one of the only 6 UNESCO World Heritage Site from Pakistan included in the UNESCO list.
You can read more on my UNESCO Sites Blog at: "Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi and Neighbouring City Remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol"

An Architectural wonder - Naulakha Pavilion in Lahore Fort

Lahore Fort is one of the 6 sites included in UNESCO World Heritage Site List and is one of the only 2 UNESCO sites listed as UNESCO Sites in Danger, which makes Lahore Fort a unique site indeed. This picture on postcard is taken from inside of Lahore Fort and shows us three historic monuments - Naulakha in Lahore Fort (The closest building with curved roof), Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Shrine (Building in yellow and white color) and the grandiose Badshahi Mosque (One of the largest mosques in the World) at the farther distance. 

Built in 1633 by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Naulakha Pavilion is one of the 21 monuments inside Lahore Fort building which are still preserved. This pavilion is located near Sheesh Mahal (the Mirror Castle). Although the pavilion was decorated with precious and semi-precious stones in the beginning but none of them can be found anywhere now :(

The amount spent on the construction of the pavilion was 9 lakh Rupees (0.9 Million Rupees) which was an enormous sum at that time. Bearing in mind the huge expenditure, the building was named as "Nau-lakha", which refers to 9 Lakhs spent on it. The same word "Naulakha" was later inducted in Urdu language to refer to something "very precious". You can view more details here.

Naulakha Pavilion was one of the favorite building of Rudyard Kipling, when he spent some time in Lahore. One of Kipling's novel is also named as "The Naulahka" referring to a precious necklace. When Rudyard Kipling settled down in his own home in Dummerston, Vermont, he named his residence "Naulakha".

The "Naulakha" photo has also been used on the reverse side of Pakistani One Rupee Note from 1964 - 1980. You can see an image of the bank note below:-

The Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C. is also inspired by Naulakha motif and is partly built on it. Here is an image of it too:-

The postcard was sent to me by Vera from Lahore itself and a common postage stamp of Rs 2 denomination is used on the postcard. The stamp features a portrait of the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. 

I wish Pakistan Post can improve their cancellations and the ink used to cancel. The present cancellations being used are so shabby and they ruin a nice piece of postal history so easily.

What are your comments about this historical building?

Desan Meadows, Kalam, Swat Valley, Pakistan

What a beautiful place to feel the awesome power of nature! So pure and so mesmerizing!!!

Desan Meadows form one of the most gorgeous landscapes where you can see crystal clear water gushing through the mountains, Frozen glaciers, lush green mountains, vast meadows, and countless other natural wonders. Travelling in Swat Valley is a lifetime experience for anyone.


After a brief pause in tourism in Swat Valley because of some hostile terrorist elements, the things are back to normal. Pakistan Army has cleared the valley from all types of miscreants and the tourists are enjoying the majestic beauty of the valley already.


If you ever decide to go to Desan Meadows, then you can find the way from Utror - about 16 kms from Kalam.


What do you think about the lush green meadows at this height?

Rakaposhi - The crown Jewel of Hunza, Pakistan

A majestic mountain peak soaring to the height of 7,788 m above mean sea level. Its Rakaposhi which is located in Hunza valley in Gilgit-Baltistan Division in Northern Pakistan.

"Rakaposhi" is located in Nagar Valley and is the 27th highest peak in the World and 12th Highest in Pakistan. The word "Rakaposhi" means "Snow-covered" in local language. It is also called as "Dumani" meaning "Mother of Mist". It was first climbed in 1958 by a British-Pakistani expedition.
The Rakaposhi Mountain Range serves as a host to a number of endangered species including Snow Leopard, Marco Polo Sheep, Brown Bears, Wolves and many other species.

Gujjar Nomads of Kaghan Valley

Gujjar Nomads of Kaghan Valley in Pakistan travel towards southern areas in harsh winters of the valley and move back towards Babusar Pass in the start of spring to feed their herds.

I am always astonished to see how much area they travel during the year. In fact, they travel thousands of miles on their feet along with their goats, sheep and cows, Sometimes they also get help from donkeys and horses but that help help is primarily aimed at carrying the luggage.
Kaghan valley is a magnificent grazing area for cattle and during brief summers, the sheep and goats grow a lot because of healthy food and pleasant atmosphere. The primary area for grazing for Gujjar Herders is near Babusar Pass, in the grounds of Gitidas. It is about 11,000 feet above mean sea level and is lush green during summers.
I wonder whether the goats and seep get slim after taking a long walk back before winters, any ideas?

Tent Pegging in Pakistan

Today I would like to share a gorgeous postcard from Pakistan. It is a card showing the popular horse sport of "Tent Pegging". The photo on the postcard shows the display of tent-pegging at the National Horse and Cattle Show, Lahore.

As per Wikipedia, Tent Pegging is defined as, "Tent pegging (sometimes spelled "tentpegging" or "tent-pegging") is a cavalry sport of ancient origin, and is one of only ten equestrian disciplines officially recognised by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Used narrowly, the term refers to a specific mounted game with ground targets. More broadly, it refers to the entire class of mounted cavalry games involving edged weapons on horseback, for which the term "equestrian skill-at-arms" is also used."
You can read more about Tent-pegging here.

Hannah Montana and Sony PSP go Postal!

What a beautiful postcard it is!!! Hannah Montana joins hands with Sony PSP back in 2009 to feature the release of a girly PSP. Here is a cool postcard issued on the event.

"Sony's Hannah Montana version of PSP is one of the most prominent examples of the tech products going girly nowadays. The device contains a number of things that attract girls.
Sony announced the "lilac"-colored Hannah Montana PSP version at Sony Computer Entertainment of America's annual conference, Destination Playstation."

 Although the postcard is printed in USA, it was sent to me by a collector friend from Pakistan.
Did you like the postcard?

Lansdowne Bridge and Ayub Arch - Railway Bridges on Indus River linking Sukkur-Rohri, Pakistan

Today I would like to share this lovely postcard from Pakistan with you. The postcard features the famous Sukkur Bridge in Sindh Province, Pakistan.
By looking closely, you can see that these are two different bridges - The old one (Brown in color) was built in 1889 and is named as Lansdowne Bridge while the new one (Silver in color) is called Ayub Arch and it was built in 1962. Both bridges are Railway Bridges and link the twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri over the mighty Indus River.

You can read the detailed account of the bridges at Wikipedia and Lansdowne Bridge Sukkur.

These two bridges are worth a look and are absolutely gorgeous - Truly a pair of architectural wonders. Do you like them?

#22: Pakistan; Shalimar Gardens – A UNESCO World Heritage Site (In Danger)

Here is my first UNESCO World Heritage Site postcard from Pakistan. In the UNESCO World Heritage Site List they are mentioned as “Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore”. Since the sites are located right in the middle of the second largest city of Pakistan – Lahore, thus at present, most of the area in the surroundings of the Lahore Fort and the Gardens is covered with civilian population. Even most of the portion of the fort is being used by civilian population. The main parts of the fort including main entrance and the important buildings have been kept in a better condition by the concerned departments. It is still a worth visiting place and a must-see for any foreign or local tourist visiting Lahore City.
Shalimar Garden is located at some distance form the Fort. The gardens are as beautiful as they are shown in the postcard. The gardens were built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. The construction started in 1641 AD and completed in 1642 AD. The gardens measure 658x258 meters in size. The gardens are laid out in the shape of an oblong paralellogram and is surrounded by a high brick wall.
The garden consists of three terraces which are elevated by 13-15 feet above each other. The three terraces are named in Urdu. Their names and meanings are as follows:-

• Top-most Terrace is named Farah Bakhsh meaning Bestower of Pleasure
• Middle Terrace is named Faiz Bakhsh meaning Bestower of Goodness
• Lowest Terrace is named Hayat Bakhsh meaning Bestower of Life

The garden has a total of 410 fountains and five water cascades including The Great Marble cascade and Sawan Bhadoon.
The site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site List in 1981. In 2000, the site was included in the Endangered UNESCO Sites List. I shall soon be sharing a postcard featuring Lahore Fort as well.

Aeroplane Restaurant on the Lake Side; Shangrila; Pakistan

Here is a beautiful postcard from Pakistan. The card features a beautiful aeroplane which is being used as a restaurant at the magnificent hill resort of Shangrilla near Skardu in Northern Pakistan.

Shangrila Resort Skardu, also known as "Heaven on Earth", is nestled amongst some of the world's highest peaks. It encircles the heart shaped "Kachura Lake" and is surrounded by fruit laden orchards and flower filled gardens.

The DC- 3 Cafe, which is shown on the postcard is a unique and one of its kind cafe. The code name of original DC-3 Aircraft was Alpha Alpha Foxtrot (AAF) . Situated in an airplane, which crash landed on the riverbed and was brought to the present site in the 50's. It offers a variety of snacks and cabin crew hospitality . 

Facebook's Farmville Postage Stamps

Have you played Farmville on Facebook ever?

Farmville is definitely the latest online farming craze....

I just thought that it would be fun sharing these beautiful stamps with you. I am sure that you will love these beautiful Farmville Postage Stamps. 

To see the remaining stamps and read more about them; Click here: Farmville Postage Stamps

#21: Winter Scene in Shogran; Kaghan Valley; Pakistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another nice postcard from the “Forest in the Sky” – Shogran. It feels nice to see such a postcard in summers only. The postcard says that it is a winter scene in Shogran where as I am sure that it is nothing but an “Early Summer” view of the hotel in Shogran. It is almost inaccessible in winters due to heavy snow fall and strong winds.

#20: Mist in Shogran Forest; Kaghan Valley; Pakistan

Here I have another lovely postcard to share with you. A misty postcard from Pakistan featuring the beautiful pine forests of Shogran in Kaghan Valley. Shogran is one of the most beautiful tourist attraction in Pakistan in general and Kaghan Valley in particular. Located at the daunting height of 2,362 meters (or around 7,000 feet) above mean sea level. From Kiwai, you have to travel on a 7 km long steep road climbing towards the sky to reach the magnificent plateau of Shogran. The plateau offers mind-boggling views in all directions. Shogran literally means “Forest In The Sky”. The road further leads to the summer settlements of Paya and Siri.

#18: Sunset at 3000+ metres at Paya in Kaghan Valley, Pakistan

Here is a beautiful postcard from my beloved homeland Pakistan. The postcard features a magnificent sunset at a hill station - Paya in Kaghan Valley.

Paya is located at a height of approx 3080 m. It is a vast expense of undulating alpine meadows in the lower part of Kaghan Valley. Standing well above the valley in the dense pine woods, this high summer pasture offers excellent views of neighboring peaks. It is located at a distance of 24 kms from Balakot and 7 kms from Kawai (This place name always reminds me of the great movie - Bridge On River Kwai, but it has nothing to do with the movie). From Kawai, a road starts climbing upwards to a lovely hill station of Shogran. It is a steep climb from Kawai to Shogran and even steeper ahead of it. Paya can be reached from Shogran by jeep (4x4) on a track which leads to the summer settlements of Siri and Paya.

The entire Kaghan Valley is a beautiful place to spend your summer or at least a part of it. Nature can be found at its best here.