Russian Post in the Ottoman Empire was a postal service of the Russian Empire that operated in various cities of the Ottoman Empire from the 18th century until September 1914. According to L. L. Lepeshinsky (1967), a total of 73 postage stamps of the Russian Post in the Ottoman Empire were issued; according to the Scott catalog, 231 stamps. The stamps of the Russian Post in the Ottoman Empire bore the inscriptions “Wrapper mailing to the East,” “ROPiT,” and “Eastern Correspondence.”
In the mid-19th century, Russia conducted brisk trade with Turkey, which needed light-industry goods. Turkey was supplied with various fabrics, sugar, matches, etc. In return, it sent to Russia so-called “colonial goods”—coffee, tobacco, spices, and so on. Because there was no direct rail route, cargo was transported across the Black Sea. But Turkey had almost no merchant fleet. Then the Russian Steam Navigation and Trading Company (abbreviated ROPiT) was established. In 1856, this company was also entrusted with the functions of the Russian Post in Turkey.
ROPiT carried mail between its various offices and also forwarded correspondence destined for Russia via Odessa. In 1863, ROPiT offices received a status similar to that of regular Russian post offices.
Postal agencies were opened in 20 cities of the country, through which mail was handled. All postal items (wrappers, letters, parcels, money orders, etc.) were paid for with special stamps, the revenue from which went to Russia. Special stamps were also issued for sending mail to Turkey. They are called Levant stamps (for eastern correspondence).
The first stamp, with a denomination of 6 kopeks per 1 lot (1/32 of a pound, or 12.797 g), was intended for sending printed matter to Turkey as a wrapper mailing: newspapers, magazines, books. It was issued in 1863. The rectangular stamp depicted a double-headed eagle in the center, and around it, in a circle, the inscription “wrapper mailing to the East.” The same stamp, printed in a different color, was issued a second time in 1866.
Several stamps were issued for sending letters from Turkey. Thus, in 1865 two miniature stamps of original designs were issued depicting a steamship and the imperial eagle. Instead of the words “postage stamp,” which appeared on all all-Russian stamps, “ROPiT” was printed. Stamps with this inscription were issued two more times in 1866 and 1867. They were sold for Turkish currency, but their value was not indicated.
From 1868, the tsarist government took control of all mail in Turkey and issued the first state stamps with the inscription “Eastern Correspondence,” but without the imperial emblem. These postage-payment signs were sold in ROPiT Russian postal agencies and came in various colors. They were overprinted with a new price. They remained in use until 1900. In that year, all-Russian postage stamps were issued with an overprint showing a new price in paras and piastres. In 1909, such overprints were made on ROPiT jubilee stamps issued in Russian currency, but they did not enter postal circulation.
In 1909–1910, in addition to the new-price overprint, additional overprints were applied to these postage-payment signs with the names of 13 Turkish cities where these stamps were sold.
Subsequently, Turkish-currency overprints were applied to the then-current general-issue stamps of Russia.
Russian post offices were closed with the outbreak of the world war in 1914, in which Turkey took the side against Russia.