Egypt flag is the national flag of Egypt, a Middle Eastern country in the northeast corner of Africa. The flag has three horizontal stripes of equal width—red on top, white in the middle, and black on the bottom. Egypt’s national coat of arms is at the center of the white stripe.
The Egyptian coat of arms features a gold eagle. The eagle was the symbol of Saladin, a Muslim ruler of Egypt in the 1100’s. On the flag, the eagle has a vertically striped shield on its chest. The bird’s claws hold a panel with the nation’s official name, Arab Republic of Egypt, written in Arabic.
Throughout its history, Egypt has had many flags and many rulers. In 1922, the modern nation of Egypt was established as an independent monarchy. The following year, the king adopted a green national flag with a white crescent and three white stars.
A group of Egyptian army officers overthrew the nation’s king in 1952. They declared Egypt a republic in 1953 and introduced an Arab Liberation Flag. It had three horizontal stripes—red, white, and black—and the eagle of Saladin at its center. The black stripe stood for the years of royal and colonial oppression. The white stripe stood for the shining future of independence. The red stripe stood for the blood the Egyptian people were willing to shed to achieve independence. A green shield on the eagle’s chest displayed the white crescent and stars of the national flag. Egyptians flew the Arab Liberation Flag along with their national flag.
In 1958, Egypt and Syria formed the United Arab Republic (U.A.R.). The U.A.R. adopted the red, white, and black striped flag, but it replaced the eagle with two green stars, one star for each member state. Syria left the U.A.R. in 1961, but Egypt continued to use the design for its national flag.
In 1972, Egypt, Syria, and Libya created a Federation of Arab Republics. The federation also used the red, white, and black striped flag, but it replaced the green stars with a gold hawk. The hawk represented the Quraysh, the Arab tribe to which Muhammad, the prophet whose teachings form the basis of Islam, had belonged. The federation soon dissolved, but Egypt kept the flag until 1984. That year, Egypt adopted its present flag.
