Lusignan/Venetian era (1192 - 1571)

Starting our historical overview from the Lusignan era, back in 1192 when they occupied the island, they started building the first roads, something that promoted the postal communication among the people living on the island.

The Venetians, after they arrived on the island in 1489, gave emphasis on the road infrastructure and in addition to the roads, they built bridges to connect the cities and the villages, as well as ports to facilitate their commercial activities. The transport development contributed to the better communication among people through the exchange of mail, messages and merchandise. 

The development of the island during the Venetian era continued. Correspondence of all kinds, commercial, diplomatic, military and private was substantial. During that period, there was transport of mail to and from abroad. Domestically, the exchange of mail was significantly lower due to the low number of literate people and the inconvenience of transporting mail using loose surface roads that used to connect cities and villages.

The Venetians established the first official Postal Service, a fact that boosted the postal communication to and from Cyprus. There were no postage stamps at the time. Sometimes, people used to write capital letters on their mail, which were given a specific meaning. In order to secure the confidentiality, they either used sealing wax or a private stamp.