The Eagle of Saladin
The eagle of Saladin, shown with a single head in its current form, has been the emblem on Egypt’s flag since 1984: how it differs from the double-headed eagle.
Egypt’s flag carries a golden eagle on its white band: the Eagle of Saladin. It is the emblem of the coat of arms and of the flag since 4 October 1984. Here we explain how it differs from the double-headed eagle, where its name comes from and what is known about its origin.
Flag and rule
- Flag: horizontal tricolour of red, white and black, with the Eagle of Saladin on the white band. Proportion 2:3, according to Wikipedia.
- Date: 4 October 1984, according to Wikipedia and FOTW. On that day the eagle replaced the Hawk of Quraysh, which occupied the white band and the coat of arms.
- Predecessor: between 1972 and 1984 Egypt used the flag of the Federation of Arab Republics. According to FOTW, the 1972 amendment removed the stars from the white band and put in a golden hawk. The hawk had been Syria’s emblem before 1958.
- Rule: the sources do not agree on the legal text. FOTW cites Law No. 144 of 1984 and, on another reading, Laws 144 and 145 of 1985. I could not consult the legal text, so I do not give a law number.
One head, not two
The Eagle of Saladin is depicted with a single head. The double-headed eagle is a different symbol, with its own origin and history.
The doubt about the number of heads comes from the original carving. The English Wikipedia notes that the relief at the Cairo Citadel, considered a representation of Saladin’s emblem without historical confirmation, is headless today. The Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, in the 17th century, described it as having two heads. Coins of al-Adil I (r. 1201–1218), Saladin’s brother and successor, show a double-headed eagle. The modern version has one head, and the number of heads on the original relief is not confirmed.
Where the name and emblem come from
- According to FOTW, citing Smith, the emblem is based on “the eagle carved on a wall in Cairo”, and takes its name from Saladin (1138–1193).
- The first state emblem to use the Eagle of Saladin was the Egyptian coat of arms adopted during the 1952 revolution, according to Wikipedia. The United Arab Republic institutionalised the modern design in 1958.
- FOTW notes that the eagle always faces the hoist.
What it means
The sources consulted do not record an official meaning for the eagle. Its name refers to Saladin and to the tradition of the Cairo carving. Any further symbolic reading is popular.
