The postal history of
Turkey and its predecessor state, the
Ottoman Empire, dates to the 18th century when foreign countries maintained courier services through their consular offices in the Empire. Although delayed in the development of its own postal service, in 1863 Turkey became the second independent country in Asia (after Russia) to issue adhesive postage stamps, and in 1875, it became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the
Universal Postal Union. Turkey became a republic in 1923, and in the following years, its postal service became more modernized and efficient and its postage stamps expertly designed and manufactured.
The Ottoman Empire's early or "classic" stamp issues between 1863 and 1888 are popular among
philatelists, and its
postal cancellations have received extensive study. Philatelists collect Turkish stamps used in various parts of the Ottoman Empire, such as
Palestine,
Jordan,
Lebanon, and
Greece. Turkey's stamps also have a complex history of
overprints of interest to philatelists.
