Flag of Egypt

Flag origins

Egypt’s flag has red-white-black horizontal bands with the golden Eagle of Saladin in the center. The current design has been used since 1984 and its colors and eagle are specified in the Constitution. The government explains red as revolution, martyrs’ blood, strength and hope; white as a bright future; and black as past oppression and colonial rule. The eagle is a national symbol associated with Saladin, the twelfth-century ruler of Egypt and Syria.

Flag story

Egypt changed flags several times during the twentieth century. In the royal period of 1923–1952, it used a green flag with a white crescent and three stars. After the 1952 revolution came red, white and black. Union with Syria in 1958 as the United Arab Republic brought two green stars representing the two countries. In the 1970s, a Hawk of Quraish replaced the stars; the Eagle of Saladin followed in 1984. The Japanese description also notes Syria’s long use of the red-white-black, two-star design inherited from the union period. Egypt’s government confirms the two stars’ original association with the 1958 union.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Egypt — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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