Flag of Egypt

Meaning and history of the flag of Egypt

Egypt's flag consists of three equal horizontal stripes of red, white, and black, with the golden Eagle of Saladin at the center of the white stripe. It was adopted in its current form on October 4, 1984. The three pan-Arab colors reflect a heritage shared with other Arab nations and trace their roots to the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.

The upper red stripe symbolizes the period before the 1952 revolution and the struggle against the monarchy and British occupation. The central white stripe represents the peaceful revolution that ended the monarchy, while the lower black stripe evokes the end of colonialism and the oppression of the Egyptian people. The Eagle of Saladin, honoring the medieval hero who unified the Islamic world, bears a shield in the national colors and a scroll with the country's official name in Arabic.

The current design replaced earlier versions that had included green stars marking the union with Syria and Libya. Egypt's flag shares the same tricolor layout with the flags of Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, all rooted in pan-Arab colors, though each is distinguished by its own central emblem.

You can view the flag of Egypt in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Egypt profile, its map, or the current local time in Cairo.