State Flag of the Arab Republic of Egypt (1984)

The design of the current Egyptian flag is based on a flag called the Arab Liberation Flag ( a horizontal striped tricolour of red, white and black), first seen after the 1952 military backed coup, which overthrew the Egyptian monarchy. 

The Arab Liberation Flag was first introduced by officers involved in the coup d'etat, since then has been the inspiration for several national flags within the region.

In 1958 the Arab Liberation Flag, with the addition of two green stars, was adopted by Egypt and Syria, when they merged to form the United Arab Republic (the two stars represented the two countries of the union).

Even though the union only lasted a few years, Egypt continued to use the flag until 1972, when Egyptian law was amended and the stars were replaced with a golden hawk.

The current flag of a golden eagle on the tricolour dates from the 4th of October 1984 and replaced the previous design adopted in 1972.

The Symbolic Meaning

Red represents the bloody struggle for freedom, white symbolises a bright future and black represents an end to oppression.

The centrally placed eagle, called the eagle of Saladin, is the country's national emblem. Its claws grasp a scroll, written in Arabic is the country's official name: Arab Republic of Egypt.

The eagle of Saladin is the personal symbol of the late 12th century Muslim warrior Saladin, who fought the Christian crusaders and conquered all the coastal lands from Cairo to Damascus, including Jerusalem.