CAIRO: Egypt issued Monday a new postal stamp to mark the New Suez Canal inauguration ceremony scheduled for Thursday, Youm7 reported.
Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab has approved the new stamp Monday in the presence of Communication Minister Khaled Nejm and president of Postal Authority Essam al-Saghir.
“The stamp features two ships sailing in opposite directions representing the old and the new canals with the Key to Life [ancient Egypt’s symbol of long life] in between. The stamp also features wheat spikes symbolize the prosperity and growth expected,” Negm was quoted by Reuters Tuesday.
The new stamp also features some ancient Egyptian archaeological sites including Giza Pyramids.
Last month, the authority announced it had formed a committee to choose the best design for a commemorative postage stamp to pay tribute to the historical waterway inauguration, adding that a stamp designing contest was held for that purpose.
Saghir said that “serious precautions” have been taken to avoid embarrassing mistakes similar to that of September 2014 when a stamp was released to depict the Panama Canal instead of Egypt’s 150-year-old canal.
In 1956, Egypt’s former president Nasser has approved the issuance of a stamp to celebrate the nationalization of the Suez Canal.