Ottoman Public Debt Administration A.D.P.O./Z.O. “Western Zone”

After the Ottoman Empire’s collapse and the occupation of its territories by Allied forces during World War I, existing Ottoman revenue stamps were overprinted for continued use in regions under French and British control. In Greater Lebanon, part of the French Mandate, stamps were overprinted with “A.D.P.O./ Z.O.”—with Z.O. standing for “Zone Ouest” (Western Zone)—to indicate that a portion of the revenue would go toward paying off the Ottoman debt. All of the Turkish revenue stamps used with the A.D.P.O. and A.D.P.O./Z.O. overprints in Lebanon. were originally issued in 1915 or 1916, featuring the Tughra of Gazi, a symbolic signature of the Ottoman sultans. Later, in 1923, a new issue was released with the Tughra removed.