Help To Identify Cancel On British Mandate Of Palestine?

Rather embarrassed to ask, because the strike isn't strong and the place name looks long. What I can read doesn't look like the beginning or end. Here's what I've guessed so far: --AQABA-. There is of course an important town in Jordan by that name, but this strike seems to have many more letters. I've searched two lists of post offices of the place and time, but found no match. Any help greatly appreciated.

Might help?

P.S. Stanley Gibbons, Commonwealth and Empire Stamps, includes a nice list of post offices outside of Palestine where Mandate stamps could also be used, but again I found no match there.

Haqab karsha?

I now think that the first word could be "Naqab": a Bedouin village in the Negev desert. The name is sometimes spelled "Nagab" or "Naqaab". The rest of the cancel is still obscure to me. There is a town in Jordan "Naqab (or "Naqb") El Ashtar" (or "Ishtar" or "Shtar"). All those spellings are possible. But are any of them right for the OP?

Mandate post offices
Main article: List of post offices in the British Mandate of Palestine

Mandate-era pillar box
During the British Mandate over Palestine about 160 post offices, rural agencies, travelling post offices, and town agencies operated, some only for a few months, others for the entire length of the period. Upon the advance of allied forces in 1917 and 1918, initially Field Post Offices and Army Post Offices served the local civilian population. Some of the latter offices were converted to Stationary Army Post Offices and became civilian post offices upon establishment of the civilian administration. In 1919 fifteen offices existed, rising to about 100 by 1939, and about 150 by the end of the Mandate in May 1948. With most of the Jerusalem General Post Office archives destroyed, research depends heavily on philatelists recording distinct postmarks and dates of their use.

There is a volume, Palestine Mandate Postmarks. "Postmarks used in Palestine during the British Mandate period from July 1, 1920 through May 15, 1948 are illustrated and described in this informative book by David Dorfman." I don't own a copy, of course, but hoping someone here does.

Thanks for that info.

I looked at every postmark depicted in the book "The Postal History of British Palestine 1918-1948 by Edward B Proud" (1985). The closest looking postmark is Hadar Haqarmel. I don't have 100% confidence that this is it but nothing else is close. And the year (1946) is within the usage period of the postmark.

Looks good to me also, excepting the apparent C for a D
which could be a hammer production fault.

Nice work!

Thanks, Germania. That's the best fit so far, and indeed seems likely. The fact that it's the best you found in that reference work adds weight to it. Shows how important a good reference library is. My Palestine collection isn't large, but an interest in cancellations, and their relation to the history of the region, drives me toward getting a copy of Proud's book or Dorfman's. Price of the latter is certainly attractive. Grateful to all who responded for your willingness to help.

Eric

Here's a link to a cover that includes the cancellation that Germania found and that appears to be the one in my OP. The cover is in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/...269561.28.33