Are New Egyptian Postal Rates to Blame?

The Egyptian Study Circle (ESC) website reports that Dr. Mostafa El-Dars at the Jan. 8 meeting of the ESC talked about his recent visit to Cairo and the difficulties faced by the Post Office and Philatelic Bureau.

According to the site, "He announced increases in postal rates to £E2.50 (from £E1.50) for overseas Air Mail and £E1 (from 55p) for registration. Noticing that stamps of value £E1, £E1.50, £E2 and £E2.50 were all on sale, he experimented each value on four letters home to UK - needless to say, all arrived by air without any difficulty."

Apparently, much of the turmoil in Egypt is the result of a poor economic situation, so could it be the rise in postal rates may have contributed to the riots?

Shown above, various pieces of postal stationary superimposed on a map of Egypt.

For a history of the Egyptian postal system, click here.