The Flag of Egypt

  • The first national flag of modern Egypt was established by a Royal Decree
    in 1923 when Egypt gained conditional independence from Great Britain in
    1922.

  • The color was green with a white crescent and three stars in the middle.
  • In 1958, a Presidential Decree established a new flag for the United Arab
    Republic which comprised a merger of Syria and Egypt.
  • The new flag had three colors: red, white with 2 green stars and black.
  • The flag was rectangular in shape and the width was one-third of its length.
  • In 1972, the Law was amended to change the flag.
  • The stars were removed from the flag and replaced by a golden hawk.
  • In 1984, the hawk was replaced by a golden eagle on the eagle of Saladdin,
    the Ayubbid Sultan who ruled Egypt and Syria in 12th Century, the same
    Saladdin of the Crusades.

Color Symbolism

  • The color red refers to the period before 1952 Revolution which brought a
    group of army officers to power after deposing King Farouk, then King of
    Egypt.
  • This was a period characterized by the struggle against the British
    occupation of the country.
  • The white symbolizes the advent of the 1952 Revolution which ended the
    monarchy without bloodshed.
  • The color black symbolizes the end of the opression of the people of Egypt
    at the hands of the Monarchy and British colonialism.

Rules Governing the Hoisting of the Flag
  • The national flag is hoisted on all governmental buildings on Fridays, official
    holidays, on the inauguration of the People’s Assembly session and other
    occasions on which the Minister of Interior orders that the flag be hoisted.
  • The flag is hoisted daily on border posts and customs buildings.
  • It is also hoisted on Egyptian consulates and embassies overseas on the
    National Day and other national occasions, as well as during the visit of the
    President to the country hoisting the diplomatic mission.

Penal Provisions for Contempt of the Flag
  • Abusing the flag in any way is a criminal offense and is punishable under
    law as it implies contempt of the power of the state. Penal provisions also
    govern abuse of foreign flags or national emblems of other countries.