Egyptian coat of arms: photo, description, meaning

The emblem of the modern Arab Republic of Egypt is the Eagle Salah ad-Din, or Saladin, on whose chest is placed a shield divided into three longitudinal strips. In the paws, the bird holds the motto of the tape, on which the current name of the country is written.

The coat of arms of the Egyptian Sultanate

In this form, one of the state symbols of this state appeared on April 10, 1984. The Egyptian coat of arms was mutated with the country throughout the 20th century. The first time it happened in 1914, when Egypt emerged from the power of the Ottoman Empire, in which it was located since 1517. From 1914 to 1922 the country is under the protectorate of Great Britain and is called the Egyptian Sultanate. The then coat of arms of Egypt (photo attached) reflected the victory of Muhammad Ali, who first started the struggle for the liberation of the country from the Ottoman Porte.

On the red field there are three golden crescents, arranged vertically, with three five-pointed stars inside. This symbolized the victory of Muhammad Ali's army on three continents - in Europe, Asia and Africa - and his power over Egypt, Sudan and Hijaz (part of modern Saudi Arabia). The coat of arms of the Khedive (Egyptian) crown crowned.

Postcolonial copy of the great once-nation

In 1922, under the influence of a growing national liberation movement, Britain was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt. On the map of the world appears a new state - the Kingdom of Egypt, which existed until 1953. I must say that these arms, both sultanate and kingdom, were in no way connected with the glorious past of this country - neither with a powerful medieval state that stopped the advance of the Crusaders, nor, especially, with Ancient Egypt. For a long time this country was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, and then in the role of the British creature.

Symbol of the Kingdom of Egypt

The Egyptian coat of arms fully reflected the problems of the post of colonial country. Element of the emblem in those years was an azure circle in which a crescent moon was placed facing the horns, and three five-pointed stars were enclosed in it . All the details on the azure background were silver.

On the contour of the circle was a chain of the highest state award - the Order of Muhammad Ali. The shield was crowned with a crown. The background of the azure shield is the royal mantle, lined with ermine and falling from another crown of a larger size, located directly above the first. The robes are decorated with gold embroidery and fringe.

Three stars decorating this coat of arms of Egypt symbolized three territories that are part of the kingdom, namely Egypt, Nubia (the historical region in the Nile Valley) and Sudan. Sometimes the background of the shield was not azure, but green, which symbolized the agricultural nature of the country, and Islam - its main religion.

Republic of Egypt

In 1952, a revolution was taking place in Egypt. It was called low in the people by the rating of the Egyptian King Farouk - he was accused of the defeat of Egypt in the war with Israel and ingratiation before the British. It was displaced bloodlessly, in memory of this event, the modern coat of arms of Egypt, the description of which will follow below, has a white strip on the shield that covers the eagle's chest. Since 1953, the country has become the Republic of Egypt, and Muhammad Nagib - its first president. In this form, the country existed until 1958. In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser became the president . The basis for the new coat of arms, which was adopted in 1953, for the first time is the "Saladin Eagle". It was made in gold, on its chest was placed a round shield of green, and on it was located the same crooked upward crescent surrounding three stars. The eagle's head was turned to the right.

Great Saladin

What does "Saladin Eagle" mean? It is believed that this bird was a personal symbol of Salah ad-Din (1138-1193), the famous winner of the Crusaders, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, a talented military commander and leader of the Muslims in the 12th century. He was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. His real name consists of more than a dozen words, and the nickname, or lakab (honorary title), under which he is known in history, is translated as "the piety of faith" Archaeologists have a lot of controversy about the eagle itself as a symbol of this ruler. Supporters of this assumption refer to the fact that this image was found on the west side of the fortress in Cairo, built by Saladin. The appearance on the emblem of the country of the eagle - the symbol of the great ancestor, linked the state with glorious pages of the history of Egypt.

The emergence of the UAR

In 1958, a new page of the history of this Arab country begins and, naturally, a new coat of arms of Egypt appears (photo attached). The Syrian government, led by the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party, or Baas, founded in 1947 in Syria by Michel Afliak and Salah ad-Din Bitar, proposed in 1958 that Egypt create the United Arab Republic together . The eagle on the new coat of arms was modified - it received black wings, a beak and a crown. Chern (applicable to the national symbol in heraldry are the names of the colors: red - red, silver - white and black - black) symbolized the complete cessation of British power over Egypt. This is a partial answer to the question - what does the coat of arms of Egypt mean?

New state symbol

The coat of arms of the UAR, which existed from 1958 to 1971, was very similar to the present one. The only difference was that the cartouche, which the eagle holds in its paws, was green, and on the white strip of the flap placed on the chest, there were two green five-pointed stars symbolizing Egypt and Syria. The eagle's head is proudly turned to the right (the heraldically correct turn) and slightly upward. Three colors of longitudinally located bands denoted:

• Black, as mentioned above, ending the oppression of the English;
• White - bloodless revolution of 1952, or Egypt's commitment to peace;
• Red - a long struggle with the colonial regime.

On the motto of a tape or a cartouche framed in silver, the name of the newly formed state - UAR - was written.

The disintegrating federation and the new, present, the arms of the country

In 1972, the union becomes a federation, which includes also Libya. The new state - a new coat of arms. From 1972 to 1977, the emblem of the FAR was a gold contour hawk looking to the left. On the paws of the bird were located two ears. But the FAR turned out to be an unviable union and split up into separate states in 1977.

Now the coat of arms of Egypt has options:

• Used by government and army;
• Shown on the flag.

Eagle, depicted on the symbol of 1958-1971, added a black tail, the cartouche became a golden color, the green stars disappeared from the white field. The current symbol of the country deserved high praise from heraldic scholars.

The modern coat of arms of Egypt is represented by a proud, free, freedom-loving and strong bird, symbolizing, in this case, the connection of times. Strict, and at the same time royal, colors make it both beautiful and majestic.

The flower on the coat of arms of Egypt is absent, although in ancient times the royal flower of this country was considered a lotus. In the form of it, the scepters of the pharaohs were made, and on the ancient coats of arms of this country there were all five lotus flowers. Even in the tomb of Ramses II, this flower was found.