Jordan

Postcard of the famous ruins of Petra in southern Jordan. Petra was established as early as 300 BC and was a prominent city in the region for nearly one thousand years until trade routes shifted during the Roman period and a series of earthquakes crippled the vital water management system. The city was gradually abandoned and forgotten to the West until 1812 when the site was reexplored by Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

Many thanks to friend Dan for sending this card while on a semester abroad in the region.

Two preprinted stamps on the right, showing Amman, Jordan's capital, and the black iris, Jordan's national flower. Stamp on the left is part of a set of two issued in 1995 commemorating the Arch of Hadrian in Jerash, erected to honour the visit of Roman Emperor Hadrian to the city in the winter of 129–130.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – Srpske Pošte

Multiview postcard from Banja Luka (Бања Лука), the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina after capital Sarajevo. The city, whose coat of arms can be seen in the upper left, has a long history dating back to Roman times, although it is probably better known for its role in the Bosnian War when most of the city's Croat and Bosniak population were expelled and its 16 Ottoman-era mosques demolished.

Stamp from the 2009 definitive series featuring local fauna; seen here the red fox, Vulpes vulpes. As I mentioned in my previous Bosnia and Herzegovina post, the country actually has three separate postal systems. Not sure why; I imagine its a relic of the post-War period, no doubt. Stamp here is from Srpske Pošte, the previous from BH Pošta, leaving me with just Hrvatska Pošta Mostar (Croatian administration) left to collect.

Mauritius

Postcard from the archives of the "Seven Coloured Earths" in southwestern Mauritius, an unusual geological formation where layers of differently coloured sand dunes create the technicolor landscape seen here. Part of the Black River Gorges National Park site on Mauritius' Tentative List for World Heritage (I think; the UNESCO site listing is not entirely clear in this regard). 

Many thanks to my cousin Frank and wife Lily who sent this to me during their honeymoon.

Stamp from a 1997 set of four commemorating the 150th anniversary of the issue of the famous Mauritius "Post Office" stamps, considered among the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world. A cover of these two stamps sold for nearly four million dollars in 1993!