The emblem of the modern Arab Republic of Egypt is the Eagle of Salah ad-Din, or Saladin, on the chest of which there is a shield divided into three longitudinal stripes. In its paws, the bird holds a motto ribbon with the current name of the country written on it.
Coat of arms of the Egyptian Sultanate
In this form, one of the state symbols of this state appeared on April 10, 1984. The coat of arms of Egypt has changed along with the country throughout the 20th century. The first time this happened in 1914, when Egypt came out of the power of the Ottoman Empire, which it had been part of since 1517. From 1914 to 1922 the country was under the protectorate of Great Britain and was called the Egyptian Sultanate. The then coat of arms of Egypt (photo attached) reflected the victories of Muhammad Ali, who was the first to start the struggle for the liberation of the country from the Ottoman Porte.
On the red field are three golden crescents arranged vertically with three five-pointed stars inside. This symbolized the victories of the army of Muhammad Ali on three continents - in Europe, Asia and Africa - and his power overEgypt, Sudan and Hijaz (part of modern Saudi Arabia). The coat of arms was crowned with the Khedive (Egyptian) crown.
Post-colonial replica of a once great country
In 1922, under the influence of the growing people's liberation movement, Great Britain was forced to recognize the independence of Egypt. A new state appears on the world map - the Kingdom of Egypt, which existed until 1953.
I must say that these coats of arms, both the sultanate and the kingdom, were in no way connected with the glorious past of this country - neither with the powerful medieval state that stopped the advance of the Crusaders, nor, moreover, with Ancient Egypt. For a very long time this country was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire, and then in the role of a British creature.
Symbol of the Kingdom of Egypt
Egypt's coat of arms fully reflected the problems of the post-colonial country. An element of the coat of arms in these years was an azure circle, in which a crescent was placed, turned with horns up, and three five-pointed stars were enclosed in it. All the details on the azure background were silver.
There was a chain of the highest state award, the Order of Muhammad Ali, along the contour of the circle. The shield was topped with a crown. The background of the azure shield is a royal mantle, lined with ermine and falling from another larger crown, located directly above the first. The mantle is decorated with gold embroidery and fringe.
Three stars decorating this coat of arms of Egypt symbolized the three territories that make up the kingdom, namely: Egypt, Nubia (historical region inNile Valley) and Sudan. Sometimes the background of the shield was not azure, but green, which symbolized both the agricultural nature of the country and Islam, its main religion.
Republic of Egypt
In 1952, a revolution takes place in Egypt. It was caused by the low rating among the people of the Egyptian king Farouk - he was accused of the defeat of Egypt in the war with Israel and currying favor with the British. It was displaced bloodlessly, in memory of this event, the modern emblem of Egypt, the description of which will follow below, has a white stripe on the shield covering the eagle's chest. Since 1953, the country has become the Republic of Egypt, and Mohammed Naguib - its first president. In this form, the country existed until 1958.
In 1956, Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes president. The basis for the new coat of arms, which was adopted in 1953, for the first time becomes the Eagle of Saladin. It was made in gold color, a round green shield was placed on its chest, and on it was the same crescent moon turned upwards with horns, surrounding three stars. The eagle's head was turned to the right.
Great Saladin
What does "Eagle of Saladin" mean? It is believed that this bird was a personal symbol of Salah ad-Din (1138-1193), the famous conqueror of the crusaders, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, a talented commander and leader of 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), by which he is known in history, is translated as "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 western side of the fortress in Cairo, built by Saladin. The appearance of an eagle on the coat of arms of the country, a symbol of a great ancestor, connected the state with the glorious pages of the history of Egypt.
Rise of the UAR
In 1958, a new page in the history of this Arab country begins and, of course, a new coat of arms of Egypt appears (photo attached). The government of Syria, led by the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party, or Baath, founded in 1947 in Syria by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din Bitar, proposed in 1958 to Egypt that they form together a United Arab Republic (UAR). The eagle on the new emblem was modified - it received black wings, a beak and a crown. Niello (applicable to the state symbol in heraldry, the following color names are accepted: scarlet - red, silver - white and niello - black) symbolized the complete cessation of Britain's 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 reminiscent of the current one. The only difference was that the cartouche that the eagle held in its paws was green, and on the white stripe of the shield 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 (heraldically correct turn) and slightly up.
Three colors of longitudinal stripes denoted:
- black, as mentioned above, the end of the oppression of the British;
- white - the bloodless revolution of 1952, or Egypt's commitment to peacefulness;
- red - a long fight against the colonial regime.
On the motto ribbon or cartouche, framed in silver, was written the name of the newly formed state - UAR.
The collapsed federation and the new, current coat of arms of the country
In 1972, the association turns into a federation, which also includes Libya. New state - a new coat of arms. From 1972 to 1977, the emblem of the FAR became a golden contour hawk looking to the left. On the paws of the bird were two ears. But the FAR turned out to be an unviable association and broke up into separate states in 1977.
Now the coat of arms of Egypt has options:
- used by government and army;
- depicted on the flag.
The eagle, depicted on the symbol of 1958-1971, has a black tail added, the cartouche has become gold, the green stars have disappeared from the white field. The current symbol of the country has earned the appreciation of heraldry scholars.
The modern emblem of the country of Egypt is represented by a proud, free, freedom-loving and strong bird, symbolizing, in this case, the connection of times. Strict yet royal colors make it both beautiful and majestic.
There is no flower on the coat of arms of Egypt, although in ancient times it was considered the royal flower of this countrylotus. In the form of it, the scepters of the pharaohs were made, and all five lotus flowers were present on the ancient coats of arms of this country. Even in the tomb of Ramses II, this flower was found.
