The Egyptian flag features red, white, and black horizontal bands with a golden Eagle of Saladin in the centre. It is part of the Arab Liberation Flag tradition.
The design
The Flag of Egypt is a national emblem rendered in the colours and proportions defined by the country’s flag law. Its official aspect ratio is 2:3, the height-to-length ratio that fixes how the flag should be cut and flown. The colour scheme uses Red, White, Black, Yellow, with each shade specified to particular Pantone or RGB values for official reproduction.
Colour palette
| Colour | Name | Common symbolism |
|---|---|---|
| Red | Red | Often signifies courage, sacrifice, revolution or the blood of those who fought for the nation. |
| White | White | Commonly represents peace, purity, honesty or snow-capped landscapes. |
| Black | Black | May reference the people, ancestral heritage, or the determination to overcome. |
| Yellow | Yellow | Usually denotes wealth, the sun, gold reserves, or a generous spirit. |
Symbolism & heraldry
Red represents the period before the 1952 revolution; white the bloodless transfer of power; black the colonial era. The Eagle of Saladin represents Arab heritage.
Heraldic elements on the Flag of Egypt — bands, charges, emblems or stars — each carry meaning agreed at the moment of the flag’s adoption. Re-readings happen across generations: a colour or a symbol that began with one meaning often picks up further layers as the country’s history unfolds.
Adoption & history
The current flag was adopted in 1984. Earlier banners flown by Egypt reflected the politics of their day; each redesign typically marked a moment of independence, regime change or constitutional reform. The current flag was chosen, debated and codified through the country’s official channels and is now protected by flag law.
Etiquette & protocol
The Flag of Egypt should be flown with respect: never allowed to touch the ground, never used as drapery for ceremonies it was not made for, and lowered or removed at sundown unless illuminated. When flown alongside other national flags, it takes precedence on home soil and is hoisted first and lowered last. On days of national mourning, the flag is flown at half-mast in line with directives from the head of state. These conventions are common to most nations and are usually written into the flag’s founding statute.
Specifications
| Field | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Egypt | — |
| Continent | Africa | — |
| ISO alpha-2 | EG | 2-letter code |
| ISO alpha-3 | EGY | 3-letter code |
| Adopted | 1984 | year of current design |
| Proportion | 2:3 | height : length |
| Colours | Red, White, Black, Yellow | — |
| Designer | — | |
| Emoji | 🇪🇬 | Unicode codepoint sequence |
Did you know?
The Eagle of Saladin was originally found on an artefact from the Citadel of Cairo, attributed to the 12th-century Sultan Saladin.
