because of the 1925 shortage and eventual absence of postage stamps in Mazar (now Mazar-e Sharif), a city in the Balkh historical region ca. 190 miles NW of Kabul, and other of the area’s provincial post offices, the Provincial Postmaster at Mazar authorize usage of obsolete revenue stamps for postage during the last week of August. Meant to be used for only one week, the intermittent absence of postage stamps resulted in the provisionals being used for at least a 5-month period. Surviving covers are very scarce; the earliest recorded usage is 1 September 1925, the latest being 6 January 1926.
