The postal service in Georgia has a long history. Since the ancient times the news were transferred rapidly across the country through couriers and messengers mentioned in KartlisTskhovreba(literally - Life of Kartli). By the end of the 19th century, an important representative of the Georgian economical thought, IoaneBatonishvili, who created the bill of State’s order reform, thought that arranging postal stations would be rather beneficial for the people and provide income for the Treasury. Trade could not have been expanded without postal services, so he demanded that post was established and postal institutions were created. He wrote: “Posts are to be located in three regions: Kartli, Kakheti and among Tatars”…
The Georgian bullock carts are closely linked to the first postal transfers in Georgia. Georgian carts are exhibited at the Popov Central Museum of Communications (in Saint-Petersburg) among the oldest means of postal transportation. Bulls locked in the cart are carrying the heavy mailbox. There are two Georgians ahead of the cart. Postal transfers using the Georgian bullock cart have brought attention from many countries. The book called “Technology and Industry” (volume ten) translated from German to Russian in 1900 describing several unique exhibits of the Berlin Postal Museum reads: among the Russian exhibits in the museum “the pictures of postal transfers using the two-wheel Georgian carts” are particularly interesting. This makes it clear that the Georgian cart has gained its place among the very first means of postal transportation in the world. One of the catalogues at the Popov Museum states that there were a model of a Georgian bullock cart and a painting describing the transportation of the post over the Caucasus presented at the Postal Exhibition arranged in 1893 in Chicago. The improvement of the circulation of mail from Georgia to Russia through the Caucasus was directly linked to the development of postal networks in Georgia.
From 1894 money transfers were carried out as followed - the sender would take the money to the post office, the post would give out the receipt to the sender and then send the recipient a coupon enabling them to receive money from the post. This rule applied to amounts under 1000 Maneti (newspaper “Iveria” N229.)
The newspaper “Iveria” pointed out that post brought people close to each other, heated trade and brought education to people.
The expansion of the postal network and opening of post offices in different regions of Georgia, particularly villages meant a lot. The more post offices there would be, the easier it would be for people to use the benefits of the postal service. The postal network developed gradually and as of today, with the unprecedented growth of electronic communication, the Georgian Post founded in 1995 by “the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Georgia” with a 100% State share is still keeping its unique place providing a universal postal service across Georgia.
In 1879 the newspaper “Droeba” (S. Meskhi - article “Upotchtoba” (meaning “No Post”)) wrote - “Most of Georgia, except the cities and settlements located by the railway, receive mail only twice or three times a week… I think it is high time that the management of the post and our Government paid enough attention to these circumstances; our life is not what it used to be twenty years ago: trade and production in our countryincrease daily, there are more schools and more people who know how to read and write and would like to know about the post, the ply and communication between the people of different provinces has nearly doubled. Besides, even the governors themselves need well-organized post and correspondence.” Meskhi thought that it was better if postal services became more expensive so that the organization would improve… “If there is post, if there is the chance to receive books and newspapers on time, nobody will mind spending a little extra” the newspaper wrote…
The number of horses at the Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Dusheti, Pasanauri, Mleta, Gudauri, Kazbegi, Larsi, Balta and Vladikavkaz post offices increased up to 652. The leading Georgian society was very attentive towards the postal exchange on the Georgian military road. The works of the Caucasus Department of the Russian Technical Society to improve the postal exchange on the military road are to be noted. The head of this department, a scientist and engineer famous across Russia and Georgia - M. Garsevanishvili spoke about the examples of delayed postal deliveries from Petersburg at the State meeting held on December 14,1876 - particularly pointing out the routes towards Kvishkheti and Kazbegi problematic due to snow and avalanches. After the statement the management of the eighth road traffic district addressed Petersburg with an offer: If postal delivery to Tbilisi would be held up by 5 days, it should have been sent through Temir-Khan-Shura, Derbent, Baku, Elizavetpol - covering 1211 verses instead of 200.
In 1840 the twelfth Postal District was created covering the “Kartli-Imereti” and the Kaspi regions. In 1857 the District Governor (N. Kakhanov) requested that there was a postal department opened by the postal bureau in Tbilisi. Kakhanov carried out different reforms in the postal business. The interesting fact is that he is the one associated with the production of the “Tbilisi stamp”.