Since childhood, I have admired the General Post Office building in West Bay, Doha, fascinated by its unique shape, which resembles giant pigeon towers. It looks as if messages are flying in and out, carrying human stories from one place to another.
Every time I passed by, the scene became even more deeply etched in my memory, especially the massive semi-cylindrical concrete arches that adorn its roof. I later learned they were designed to give the building its distinctive shape and allow natural light to enter at varying levels, creating patterned shadows—an essential feature for a country where summer temperatures can exceed 50°C.
The Post Office building was constructed in 1979 by the British architectural firm Twist + Whitley Architects. In addition to service halls, it houses around 25,000 mailboxes, making it a vital hub for public postal services, according to the Laser Scanning website.
This building has remained a beautiful symbol in my life, not only because of its unique design but also because it represents an architectural success story that blends beauty with functionality. It has also become part of my memory and childhood.
Today, even though we send our messages with a simple click through emails and messaging apps, traditional mail still holds a special charm—a nostalgic flavor from when the mail carrier was a hero and the postage stamp a promise.
According to the Poste Maroc, ever since humans dreamt of communicating with those far away, mail was born—long before writing itself. Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Greeks devised primitive methods to transmit messages, some inscribed on clay tablets carried by brave couriers who crossed deserts and rivers.
Remarkably, mail was not just a simple profession in ancient times—it was a perilous adventure. Couriers often bequeath their belongings before setting off with a letter, as if preparing for a journey of no return.
Later, the Persian Empire established an extraordinary postal network that stretched over 2,500 kilometers, using horses. The Romans also created an impressive system called Cursus Publicus, a network of roads and postal stations that outshone its predecessors.
The postal system continued to evolve until the day the postage stamp was invented. The idea’s roots trace back to the mid-19th century, when recipients used to pay the postage fees. Many refused to accept costly letters, causing postal services to bear the cost of transporting large volumes of undelivered mail.
Hussein Shirazi recounts in his book The Story of Mail (2024) how Sir Rowland Hill, Director of the British Post, once stayed at a hotel and noticed a girl receiving a letter from London. When the mailman asked her to pay a high fee due to the distance, she declined and returned the letter. Sir Rowland offered to pay on her behalf, but she politely declined.
Later, Hill discovered that the girl and her fiancé had agreed to exchange coded messages by marking the envelope: a circle around the initials meant “I love you,” a line under the sender’s name meant “I’m not well.” A small crown in the corner signaled “I will visit during the holidays.” In this way, she received news without paying anything.
Investigations revealed this trick was widespread, causing losses to the British postal service. That’s when Sir Rowland conceived the postage stamp idea: the sender would prepay the postage at a flat rate, regardless of distance. Many countries soon adopted the idea, and the postage stamp became a worldwide standard from East to West.
Returning to the Post Office building, its garden was designed with postage stamps in mind. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, the landscape features three interconnected stamps framed by green spaces, making the ground look like an open letter to passersby.
Every corner of the garden tells the story of a Qatari stamp. The trees, walkways, seating areas, and pathways were all designed to visually and functionally extend the General Post Office building. It was as if the state wanted to preserve a scene that had remained etched in the hearts of Qataris for three decades for the collective memory.
The walking, running, and cycling paths among the lush trees made me feel like I was walking across the pages of an ancient letter written by Qatar. With each step, the garden whispered to me: “Everything here is inspired by the stamps that carried this nation’s identity to the world.”
Even the artworks that adorn the garden, created by the talented Qatari artists Maryam Al-Maadhadi and Fatima Al-Sharshani, enhance this idea. They are not just murals, but paintings that tell the story of our Qatari heritage through color and form.
The garden was not merely a green space added to a beautified city—it was a love letter sealed with a stamp, sent by Qatar to everyone who believes that places can embrace our souls, just as stamps embrace our letters.
The Qatar Postal Corporation website recounts the story of postal services in the country. In 1950, the General Postal Corporation was established in Doha, and at that time, British stamps denominated in Indian rupees were used, with “Qatar” printed in English.
The beginnings were simple, with hand-stamped letters sent through a few offices. The first postmark showing the dispatch date appeared in 1953 at the Doha Post Office, and within a few years, services expanded to Dukhan and Mesaieed.
In 1961, Qataris began issuing stamps featuring their currency, identity, and the image of their Amir, along with other stamps illustrating Qatar’s achievements and national occasions.
Three decades later, the State of Qatar issued Law No. (14) of 1990 regulating postal services, stipulating that the Ministry of Transport and Communications would have exclusive rights to provide postal services, ensuring the confidentiality of correspondence and prohibiting access to it except under specific legal provisions.
The law defined various postal materials, such as letters, postcards, printed materials, and small parcels, and prohibited mailing items like explosives and materials contrary to religious principles. It also organized postal money orders, outlined the responsibility of the competent authority for the loss or damage of registered mail, and specified compensation mechanisms, violations, and penalties related to breaching mail confidentiality or forging stamps.
The law maintained Qatar’s adherence to applicable Arab and international postal agreements, such as the amended postal agreement for the Gulf Postal Authority (ratified by Decree No. 16 of 1984), the resolutions and recommendations of the 12th Arab Postal Union Conference (ratified by Decree No. 1 of 1987), and the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization and its associated multilateral trade agreements (ratified by Decree No. 24 of 1995), granting the Minister of Transport and Communications the authority to issue executive regulations.
Later, the General Postal Corporation was transformed into the Qatar Postal Services Company by virtue of Decree Law No. (16) of 2009, with a capital of 100 million Qatari riyals.
The company is headquartered in Doha and provides traditional postal services, electronic delivery, and e-commerce services, with the right to establish or partner with local and international companies.
In 2017, the company launched its new identity under “Qatar Post” and operated 23 modern branches. In 2018, the Universal Postal Union recognised it as the second-best post office in the world.
Subsequently, Law No. (15) of 2023 was issued to regulate postal services, repealing the previous law and assigning the Communications Regulatory Authority, established in 2014, full oversight over the postal sector, including issuing licenses, regulating competition, protecting mail confidentiality, and ensuring service quality.
Licensing became a mandatory condition for providing postal services, and delivering or receiving hazardous or morally inappropriate materials was prohibited. Service providers must comply with safety and security conditions, provide accurate pricing and service quality information, and maintain postal operation records.
The law stipulated fines of up to 500,000 Qatari riyals for violators and established mechanisms for dispute resolution prior to resorting to the judiciary. It also preserved the exclusive privilege granted to the Qatar Postal Services Company until its expiration or cancellation.
In 2025, the Official Gazette published detailed regulations for organizing postal services, covering the service delivery mechanism, service quality standards, and procedures for handling suspicious postal materials, including their confiscation or seizure when necessary.
The regulations set licensing conditions for service providers, including transparency in pricing and non-discrimination among customers. They also required the public postal operator to update and make the postal code registry publicly available.
The regulations also outlined a list of prohibited items, such as flammable materials and materials contrary to public morals, with the authority committed to updating the list regularly.
There is a list of items prohibited from being shipped via Qatar Post services, including all types of explosives, such as fireworks, detonators, and powders used to manufacture explosives, which are strictly banned. It was also emphasized that the shipping of any compressed gases, including propane cylinders, diving tanks, and aerosol cans like hair sprays and portable gas canisters, is prohibited.
Qatar Post indicated that flammable materials, such as perfumes, nail polish, lighter fuel, and paint oils and dyes, pose a significant risk and cannot be shipped via mail. Oxidizing chemicals, such as chlorine and hydrogen peroxide compounds, are also prohibited, in addition to toxic and infectious materials, including pesticides, agricultural chemicals, viruses, bacteria, and mercury compounds.
It was further clarified that radioactive materials, such as radioactive sources and smoke detectors, are considered highly dangerous and cannot be transported under any circumstances via the postal network. The list of prohibited items also includes corrosive substances like acids and liquid batteries, magnetic materials, goods containing dry ice, and unmounted lithium batteries or batteries exceeding permitted energy limits.
Qatar Post stressed that lithium batteries—including those used in electric bikes, electric wheelchairs, hoverboards, and portable entertainment devices like digital cameras and remote-controlled toys—are subject to strict regulations and must not be shipped unless safely installed within the devices.
It was also noted that counterfeit or pirated materials are strictly prohibited. Transporting such items via mail is considered a serious economic crime that may lead to confiscation or destruction of shipments. These materials, including counterfeit medications, violate intellectual property rights and pose serious risks to consumer health.
Additionally, Qatar Post stated that other items are prohibited from shipment through its services, including live animals and reptiles, cash, coins, bearer securities, traveler’s checks, gold, silver, precious stones, and jewelry, unless shipped under special and fully insured arrangements.
Qatar Post concluded its statement by reaffirming its full cooperation with the relevant customs authorities to prevent the circulation of such materials. This will safeguard the integrity of the national postal system and protect individuals and society from potential risks associated with unsafe shipments.
Thus, between the post office building that witnessed my first steps and the invention of the stamp that organized human correspondence across ages and the park that embodied the spirit and form of the postage stamp, I realized that postal services in Qatar have never been just a means of communication—they have always been a memory of a nation.
Qatar was writing its most beautiful message in every detail, from the building’s arches to the park’s green lines: “When places embrace our stories, they become part of our hearts.”
Today, as in the past, I walk past the post office and feel as if time itself has written me a letter, sealed with a stamp of love.
