---
title: "Flag of Egypt: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Egypt flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted. Plus the flags it gets mistaken for."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/egypt/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Egypt

**The flag of Egypt: Three equal horizontal bands of red, white and black, with the golden Eagle of Saladin centred on the white.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1984

*[Flag drawn on the page: Egypt]*

Red, white and black are the Arab Liberation colours, introduced by Egypt's 1952 revolution and subsequently adopted by Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Sudan — which is why those five flags are so easily mixed up. The emblem on the white band is what separates them, and Egypt's has changed three times: two green stars, then the Hawk of Quraish, then the Eagle of Saladin from 1984. Egypt and Syria flew an identical two-star flag as the United Arab Republic between 1958 and 1961, and Syria kept it for decades afterwards. The eagle is drawn facing the hoist.

## Flags it gets confused with

*[Flag drawn on the page: Egypt, Sudan]*

*Drawn at each flag’s own official ratio, which is itself the difference in some of these pairs.*

| Flag | How to tell them apart |
| --- | --- |
| Iraq | Iraq has the takbir in green Kufic script on the white band, not an eagle. |
| Yemen | Yemen has the same three bands with no emblem at all. |
| Sudan | Sudan adds a green triangle at the hoist. |

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **Red** (#CE1126) — The period of struggle against occupation
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — The bloodless 1952 revolution
- **Black** (#000000) — The end of oppression

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Eagle of Saladin | A twelfth-century emblem, adopted as the symbol of Arab nationalism |

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1984
- **Colours:** red, white, black

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Egypt look like?

Three equal horizontal bands of red, white and black, with the golden Eagle of Saladin centred on the white.

### What do the colours of the Egypt flag mean?

Red: the period of struggle against occupation. White: the bloodless 1952 revolution. Black: the end of oppression.

### How do you tell the Egypt flag from the Iraq one?

Iraq has the takbir in green Kufic script on the white band, not an eagle.

### When was the Egypt flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1984, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Egypt](https://atoneplace.net/country/egypt/)
- [The flag of Iraq](https://atoneplace.net/flag/iraq/)
- [The flag of Sudan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/sudan/)
- [Every flag with red in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/red/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of China](https://atoneplace.net/flag/china/)
- [The flag of Germany](https://atoneplace.net/flag/germany/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]