Obock Territory Territoire d'Obock (French) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1862–1896 | |||||||
| Anthem: "Partant pour la Syrie"[1](de facto)[2][3] "Departing for Syria" | |||||||
 Map of the Obock Territory and Dependencies drawnc.1889 | |||||||
| Status | French colony | ||||||
| Capital | Obock | ||||||
| Official languages | French | ||||||
| Common languages | Afar Arabic Somali | ||||||
| Religion | Islam Christianity | ||||||
| History | |||||||
• Established | 1862 | ||||||
• Disestablished | 1896 | ||||||
| Currency | French franc | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | FR | ||||||
| |||||||
| Today part of | Djibouti | ||||||
TheObock Territory and Dependencies (French:Territoire d'Obock) was an administrative colony belonging to theSecond French colonial empire, between 1862 and 1896, located in the current republic of Djibouti.
On June 4, 1859, the former French consular agent inAden,Henri Lambert, was assassinated in theGulf of Tadjourah.[4] After an investigation by the French envoy Stanislas Russel, the commander of the naval station of the East Coast of Africa (based inRéunion Island), Viscount Alphonse Fleuriot de Langle, was tasked with arresting the presumed culprits. They were handed over to theOttoman authorities.On March 11, 1862, representatives of the sultan of Tadjourah (Diny Ahmed Aboubekr, Mohammed Hammed, andAboubekr Ibrahim Chehem), who had come toParis following this incident, concluded an agreement withÉdouard Thouvenel, Foreign Minister ofNapoleon III, by which they ceded to France “the ports, harbor, and anchorage of Obock located near Cape Ras Bir along with the plain extending from Ras Aly in the south to Ras Doumeira in the north”.[5] France purchased this right for the sum of 10,000thalers (55,000 gold francs), which were paid in May 1862.[6] On this occasion, the official takeover of Obock was made by Frigate Captain Buret of theCurieux, who noted in his report to the Minister of the Navy that he was convinced that if the inhabitants of this coast desired the French presence,
it was because they were persuaded that we were indifferent to the slave trade and that we would allow their boats to fly the French flag to cover their illicit trade.[7]
However, the area remained unoccupied for almost twenty years. Only a few traders began settling there in 1881. It wasn't until late1883 that an official mission was sent to explore the territory under the command of Commander Conneau of theInfernet, accompanied byLéonce Lagarde. Lagarde, who arrived in Obock on August 4, 1884, became the first “commander” of the territory. He began to expand the colony to encompass the entireGulf of Tadjoura, which became the “Territory of Obock and Dependencies.”
Around1895, Lagarde moved the colonial administration center fromObock to thecity of Djibouti, on the other side of the gulf. TheMessageries Maritimes also moved their stopover there in November 1895. The territories were administratively merged into theFrench Somaliland on May 20, 1896.[8]
Until 1892, the colony of Obock used postage stamps from theFrench colonial empire featuring the Alphée Dubois type of 1881. In 1892, these stamps weresurcharged with the word "OBOCK". Later that year, some of these stamps were additionally surcharged with values ranging from 1 centime to 5 francs, and stamps of the Group type were also issued.[9]
The stamps issued in1893 and1894 stand out: they are a series of imperforate stamps with a serrated line printed between them, imitatingperforation. Additionally, the 2-franc and higher-value stamps were in the shape of anequilateral triangle featuring a depiction of améhariste (camel rider), while some stamps were also shaped like diamonds, signed by Sauniers.[9] The word "Obock" was inscribed in Latin, Arabic, and Ge'ez scripts. Due to the closure of thepost office in Obock in 1894, the remaining stock of stamps was used until depleted inDjibouti. Some stamps were bisected to create lower denominations. In 1902, part of the stock was sold with small values surcharged.[10] It was the Obock stamps surcharged with "DJ" or "Djibouti" that served as the first stamps of the French protectorate inDjibouti. The stamps used afterward inObock were those of theFrench Somaliland region, like those used in Djibouti.[9]
