Art exhibition documents the first Egyptian Scout postage stamp at the National Museum of Civilization
The “Impact on Stamps” exhibition, hosted by the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, has dedicated a special wing to display an artistic model documenting the first set of commemorative postage stamps issued on the occasion of the Second Arab Scout Camp hosted by Egypt in 1956.
An artistic vision from the heart of scouting
The model was designed by Mariam Hisham Sharawi as part of her graduation project at the Faculty of Art Education at Helwan University. The project is also an artistic scouting activity, as she is active as a leader in the Manshiyat al-Tahrir Scout Group in Cairo.
Mariam told Bab Masr: “I am interested in the history of Egyptian scouting as a member of the Egyptian Scout Archive initiative. I also prefer to contribute with artwork and models made of wood and cardboard, as one of the artistic activities of scouting. She added: “I decided to turn the first commemorative postage stamp issued for Egyptian scouts into an artistic model. I focused on the stamp dedicated to the Air Scouts, as that is where I belong and am active.”
An exhibition that left its mark
The exhibition was organized in collaboration between the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the Egyptian National Postal Authority, and the Pioneers Club for Stamp Collectors. In addition to the Faculty of Art Education at Helwan University and the Museum of the Orient.
Dr. Al-Tayeb Abbas, CEO of the museum, said in a statement that the exhibition embodies an integrated vision of connecting the past with the present. It seeks to highlight commemorative postage stamps as cultural and artistic media that reflect Egyptian identity.
Nancy Ammar, the museum’s events organizer, explained that the exhibition includes artistic and interactive events, most notably a rare exhibition of commemorative and postal stamps and old correspondence. In addition to correspondence and postcards, in collaboration with the Pioneers Club for Stamp Collectors, there was an innovative art exhibition of works and models inspired by stamp designs created by students from the Faculty of Art Education at Helwan University
. The exhibition also included a special display by the Egyptian National Postal Authority of a collection of commemorative stamps. Among them was a collection entitled “Procession of Royal Mummies” and an augmented reality (AR) exhibition of stamps dating back more than a century from seven Arab countries. The Virtual Museum of the Orient participated via the internet.
How did the idea start?
Maryam says: “I am researching the history of Egyptian scouting. I found that the ‘Athar fi Ta’ba’ exhibition represents an opportunity to document a global event hosted by Egypt, namely the Second Arab Scout Camp in Abu Qir, Alexandria. This is an important gathering for Scouts from across the Arab world to exchange knowledge and experiences.
She continued: Egypt hosted the Second Arab Scout Camp in 1956. After the first camp was held in Zabadani, Syria, in 1954, it became a well-established tradition for the camp to be held every two years and hosted by an Arab country. The host country is selected during the Arab Scout Conference.
She added: “The Postal Authority issued a set of three stamps representing the three central associations: the Boy Scouts, the Sea Scouts, and the Air Scouts. I focused on the Air Scouts stamp for personal and artistic reasons.”
Wooden model by a scout
Maryam explains that she chose the Air Scouts stamp because its design can be divided into wooden layers. This allowed her to create a model with an archet and distribute the lighting inside it in an artistic way.
She says, “Making wooden models using an arc saw is one of the Scouts’ favorite crafts. It doesn’t require a lot of technology or tools. It’s also a primitive art that Scouts and Cubs can learn quickly and doesn’t depend on innate skill or talent in drawing, but rather on persistence and learning.”
She adds, “We focus on handicrafts for children during scout meetings because scouting is based on manual skills and outdoor life. Therefore, art and drawing are always among our top priorities.” She talks about the work she put into her project, explaining that she divided the artistic elements into the postage stamp and the air scout emblem. She then converted them into layers that could be separated and distributed between the spaces to give a three-dimensional shape to the small stamp.
The story behind the release of the scout stamps
The book “Egyptian Scout Stamps 1956-2024” (currently being printed – Egyptian Scout Archive Initiative), founded by Islam Khaled, chronicles the history of the release of this rare collection of stamps.
The book devotes chapters to explaining commemorative postage stamps for Scouting events from the Arab Scout Camp stamp collection in Abu Qir, including the World Scout Jamboree hosted by Egypt in August 2024.
Egyptian Scout Stamps
According to the book, the first Egyptian Scout stamp was issued in 1956 on the occasion of Egypt hosting the Second Arab Scout Camp in Abu Qir. This collection is considered the first Scout stamp in the Arab world. It received great attention from the state and the Scout movement at the time, and the camp site in Abu Qir was equipped to become a permanent camp.
The set consists of three scout stamps representing the three Egyptian associations newly formed in 1955. They are: green for the Boy Scouts, azure blue for the Sea Scouts, and sky blue for the Air Scouts. This set was distinguished by its official postal value, to which an additional monetary value was added. Commander Aziz Bakir, the camp commander, requested that one piastre be added to each stamp collected as financial support for the Egyptian Scout Movement.
Rare stamps and cards
At the time, the postal service also issued a postcard for the Scouts, which is one of the oldest Scout postcards. A total of 2,500 postcards were printed, but only 1,037 were sold because they could only be purchased with a set of 200 stamps. This was equivalent to 2 pounds, which was a large sum at the time.
In 2018, the English organization “Sherry Stone”, which specializes in international stamp auctions, offered the original approved design for the Scout stamp collection, signed by the Director General of the Survey Authority, for US$10,000.
Over the years, the Postal Authority has issued a number of commemorative stamps dedicated to the Scout movement. These include a stamp dedicated to the Sixth Arab Scout Camp, hosted by Alexandria in 1964, and a commemorative stamp marking the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Arab Scout Organization in 1994.
According to the book “Egyptian Scout Stamps 1956-2024,” the delay in issuing the first commemorative stamp dedicated to scouting in Egypt was due to the postal service’s focus at the time on international events held in the country. Scouting was not among them.
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