Save the Monuments of Nubia March 30, 1964. (1964-1)

13 paisa: Depicts the ‘Temple of Thot’ on the left and an inset of three standing figures on the right. This inset is relevant to the ‘Temple of Thot’ and represents Queen Nefertari (in the middle) and her maids performing some ritual.
50 paisa: Depicts a side view of the rock con-taining four colossal figures of Rameses II. This is generally known as the Temple of Abu Simbel. A partial view of the river Nile and its banks is also shown on the left.
NUBIA, 300 mile-long strip of land, runs along the River Nile in parts of Egypt (U.A.R.) and Sudan. This stretch of land is strewn with countless temples, tombs, and statues of varying sizes carved out of sandstone, hewn from the priceless quarries of Nubia. Temples are also built into the sides of cliffs of the Lybian and the Arabian mountains, bordering the Nile. These monuments of Nubia, ranking amongst the most magnificent on earth and more than 4,000 years old, indicate the rise and fall of various dynasties in the Land of Pharaohs. The temples include, among others, those of the Philae. Amada, Kal-absha and Abu Simbel.
Egypt, long known as the Gift of Nile, requires more and more water for irrigation purposes to feed its growing population and meet its expanding requirements. For irrigation in spring and summer, a dam was built on the Nile at Aswan between 1899 and 1902. This has however. been found to be inadequate, and an immense volume of water is lost to the sea. To make gainful use of this water and to achieve better and higher-group yields, as also hydro-electric energy, work has already begun on the Great Aswan Dam. Within five years, the middle valley of the Nile will be turned into an artificial lake, some 300 miles in length. With the emergence of this lake, the monu-ments of Nubia would have been submerged and lost. At the instance of the Republics of the U.A.R. and of Sudan, the UNESCO has started operations for removing the monuments of Nubia to safer places.
Pakistan Post Office is issuing a set of two Commemo-rative Postage Stamps in response to the appeal of the UNESCO and thus joins the large community of nations who are interested in preserving for future generations the wondrous structures, the veritable open-air museum, of what once was Nubia. The Commemoratives in question will be available for sale on and from 30th March, 1964 at all important Post Offices in Pakistan, at the Philatelic Bureau, Karachi, and also at the various Philatelic Counters in Karachi, Hyderabad. Quetta, Multan, Lyallpur, Sialkot, Murree, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Khulna, Sylhet, Dacca, Chittagong and Rajshahi, and at some of the Pakistan Diplomatic Missions abroad.