10 Qirsh Reopening of Suez Canal

Egypt issued this piece to mark the reopening of the Suez Canal in June 1975, nearly eight years after the waterway was closed following the Six-Day War in 1967. Israeli forces had occupied the eastern bank throughout that period, and the canal sat unusable — its approaches littered with sunken vessels that had to be cleared by an international salvage operation before traffic could resume. Fourteen ships trapped at the time of closure, the so-called "Yellow Fleet," had sat anchored in the Great Bitter Lake for the entire duration.