Flag of Egypt

Egypt's flag has three horizontal stripes, red, white and black, with a golden eagle, the Eagle of Saladin, in the middle of the white stripe.

At a glance

Adopted: October 4, 1984
Shape (height : width): 2:3
Capital: Cairo
Continent: Africa
Colours: red
white
black
gold

What it means

Red: officially, the time before the 1952 revolution, when Egyptians struggled against British occupation; it is also often described as the blood shed for freedom
White: officially, the 1952 revolution, which ended the monarchy without bloodshed; also often called the purity of hearts
Black: officially, the end of oppression under the monarchy and colonial rule
Eagle of Saladin: strength and the memory of Saladin; under its feet is a ribbon with the country's name, the Arab Republic of Egypt

Where it came from

The red-white-black stripes come from the Arab Liberation Flag of the 1952 revolution, when army officers ended Egypt's monarchy.

The eagle is named after Saladin, the famous sultan of the 1100s, and is based on an eagle carved on a wall in Cairo.

History

In the 1800s Egypt used a red flag with crescents and stars, close to the Ottoman flag. From 1923 the Kingdom of Egypt flew a green flag with a white crescent and three white stars.

After the 1952 revolution the red-white-black tricolour appeared. From 1958, when Egypt and Syria joined as the United Arab Republic, two green stars sat on the white stripe. In 1972 a golden hawk replaced the stars, and on 4 October 1984 the Eagle of Saladin replaced the hawk.

Fun facts

The writing under the eagle is printed so it reads correctly from both sides of the flag.
Iraq, Syria, Sudan and Yemen have used the same red, white and black, all inspired by the 1952 Arab Liberation Flag.
The president's flag is the national flag with an extra small golden eagle in the top corner.
The eagle faces the flagpole side.

Easy to mix up with

Yemen: Yemen has the same three stripes but nothing in the middle
Iraq: Iraq has the same stripes with green Arabic writing on the white stripe
Sudan: Sudan has the same stripes plus a green triangle at the flagpole side

Questions

What does the flag of Egypt look like?

Egypt's flag has three horizontal stripes, red, white and black, with a golden eagle, the Eagle of Saladin, in the middle of the white stripe.

What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Egypt mean?

Red: officially, the time before the 1952 revolution, when Egyptians struggled against British occupation; it is also often described as the blood shed for freedom; White: officially, the 1952 revolution, which ended the monarchy without bloodshed; also often called the purity of hearts; Black: officially, the end of oppression under the monarchy and colonial rule; Eagle of Saladin: strength and the memory of Saladin; under its feet is a ribbon with the country's name, the Arab Republic of Egypt.