Egypt Tomb of Aggressors - 1957

EGYPT (United Arab Republic) issued on 26 July 1957 a series of stamps entitled "Tomb of Aggressors". This set was issued to celebrate the end of the Suez War (also called The Tripartite Aggression). The set  represented five important victories of Egyptian troops throughout history.

The stamps included:

Battle of Avaris in 1580 BCE - 10m carmine.

Sultan Saladin at the Battle of Hattin 1187 CE - 10m olive green.

Louis IX of France in Chains at Battle of Mansourah in 1250 CE - 10m brown violet.
Map of the Middle East at Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 CE - 10m green blue.
Control of the Port Said in 1956 CE - 10m yellow/brown.

Battle of Avaris

The Battle of Avaris stamp represents the Egyptian troops defeating the Hyksos in the city of Avaris in 1580 BCE. The Hyksos were an Arab population, coming from Palestine, who settled progressively in Egypt starting from 1800 BCE in the time of the 12th dynasty. Later, with the weakening of the Egyptian state, they established a kingdom with Avaris as capital. Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th dynasty, defeated the Hyksos and took control of their capital Avaris.

Sultan Saladin at the Battle of Hattin

This stamp shows a drawing of Sultan Saladin on his horse. It commemorates the Battle of Hattin, that often occurred in July 1187 CE, where Saladin achieved a crushing victory over the Crusader armies. In 1099 CE, areas in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jerusalem in particular, were occupied by the Crusaders in the First Crusade. This occupation lasted for about a century.The direct cause for the Battle of Hattin occurred when  Raynald of Châtillon, the Lord of Oultrejordain, raided a caravan of Muslim merchants while a truce with Saladin was still in place. Saladin asked Guy of Lusignan, the then King of Jerusalem to compensate for the goods and punish his Lord for the truce violation. The king’s refusal led to war which ended in the Battle of Hattin, where the army of Saladdin crushed the crusaders’ army. This decisive victory opened the way for the liberation of Jerusalem and most of the coastal cities in current Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.

Battle of Mansourah

The Battle of Mansourah stamp shows the capture of  King Louis IX. He, along with two of his brothers, Charles d’Anjou and Robert d’Artois, led the Seventh Crusader force. They were joined later by the king’s third brother Alphonse of Poitiers. These forces were mainly French with an English contingent led by William of Salisbury. After their first victory at the Port of Damietta, in June 1249 CE, they were unable to progress into Egypt. In February 1250 CE, they marched towards the city of Mansourah. But the attacking forces fell into a trap and most of them were decimated, including the King’s brother Robert d’Artois, and the English commander William of Salisbury. After a two-month long siege, they tried to retreat to the Damietta, but were attacked by Egyptian forces. The French King, his brothers and tens of French dignitaries were captured, and tens of thousands of combatants were killed.

Battle of Ain Jalut

The Mongol empire emerged in the 13th century in eastern Asia as major power during the rule of Genghis Khan. It expanded rapidly towards central and western Asia and Europe. In few decades, Mongols extended their control over all central Asia and Persia.

After several attacks on Syrian cities starting in 1244 CE, the Mongols besieged Baghdad, occupied and sacked it in 1258 CE. Damascus had a similar fate sometime later. After these victories, the Mongols sent envoys to Cairo demanding the Mamluks, who ruled over Egypt, to surrender.

In anticipation of a Mongol invasion, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, Saif ad-Din Qutuz, prepared an army and entered into Palestine. The Egyptian Mamluk and Mongol armies clashed in a locality in the south of the galilee called Ain Jalut. The Mongols were crushingly defeated by Qutuz’s forces, and the Battle of Ain Jalut has been considered a historical turning point in the Mongol invasions.

Control of the Port Said

The Port Said stamp depicts an international agreement, wherby the Anglo-French invading forced had to finish withdrawing by 22 December 1956 CE. The Israeli forces withdrew from Sinai and the Gaza Strip, in March 1957 CE. The withdrawal of foreign troops confirmed Egyptian sovereignty over the Suez Canal. Egyptian resistance at Port Said become a symbol of Egyptian victory, linked to a global anti-colonial struggle.