Page 38 - Russo-Persian Postal Relations

I.A.4 Imperial Russian Ship Mail in the Caspian Sea
Russian special ships were bu ilt for postal communications between Astrakhan and Persia already during the
reign of Empress Anne (1730-40). By 1847 several lines and the newly formed ROPIT subsidiaries for the
Caspian and for inland river traffic had amalgamated into the "CAUCASUS & MERCURY" Steam Shipping
Company, a private compa ny, in 1858 which later became the leading Russian mail line between Baku and the
Persian ports of Enzeli, Meched-i-Sar and Astara.
After the completion of the railway line to Baku in 1884 mail between Persia a nd Russia or transiting Russia
was transported primarily with th e Caucasus & Mercury line. Persian mail in closed bags for transiting to
Europe or vice versa would be cared for by the Enzeli and Baku exchange post offices started operating in
1885. Mail could also h a nded over directly to the shipping agents or the captains in the ports of calling or given
directly to them or put into "letter boxes" on the open sea. The mail would then be handed over to the Persian
postal authorities at Enzeli port or the Rus sian PO in Bairn. In Baku all mail were cancelled while mail to Persia
could have anilin cross-outs, or be cancelled by the Persian PO in Enzeli or at the arrival point inland. Probably
Russian stamps were a vailable onboa rd and could be used in BOTH directions to and from Baku. Only by
having certain information in m anuscript or hand stamps on the mail items and/or in combination with foreign
rates if addressed to a place either in Ru s sia , Persia or beyond Ru ssia it is possible to distinguish whether it was
sea mail via Baku or ordinary inla nd or foreign mail from Baku . A typical example is the registered cover to
Holland by the Baku PO in 1898 shown below.
The shipping agents or the ships had no permission for an officially organized postal service until 1912. Before
1912 most Russian m ail would not be cancelled or received a pen mark in anelin although some were cancelled
by either th e Enzeli Persia n post office or at the final destination in Persia such as Isfahan, Rescht or Teheran. It
is not known whether Russian stamps were sold on board (more likely) or brought along by private hands.
A very early registered ship mail from Persia to Holland via Baku in 1898. Baku dis infection st rike
Handed over to an agent at Enzeli or at sea. Could only be handled in Baku
Only two registered sea post items between Persia and Baku have been confirmed since the 1890s to 1918

Rates: 20 kopek double rate Registration fee: 20 kopek
Route: via Enzeli shipping agent or posted directly on board, but handled by Baku PO 26/XI 1898 (Julian) arriving
Amsterdam 18 December 1898. Prom Baku by train through Russia
This item must have come from Persia as verified by the three wax seals at the back reading " POSTE TOKO
TEHERAN" Also we know that this item was coming from abroad since there was a regular mail- and passenger ship
betwt;en Baku and Enzeli. And only mail from abroad, at the Caspian ~ea it means Persia, would be disinfected

Map of Russian shipping POSTE TOKO TEHERAN
routes Wax seal (three at the back