![[Flag of Egypt in 1923]](../images/e/eg-1923.gif)
Last modified: 2023-12-09 by ian macdonald
Keywords: anchors: 2 (white) | swords :2 (white) | naval ensign | army flag | air force ensign | crescent (white) | stars: 3 (white) | royal standard |
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image by Željko HeimerSee also:
"Although the revolution was suppressed, continued agitation led
to the termination of the British protectorate in 1922. Fuad I
adopted a distinctive national flag (...) on 10 December 1923 (...)
three white stars arranged within a single crescent standing for
Muslims, Christians, and Jews living in Egypt."
Quoted from Whitney Smith
[smi75c] by Nick
Artimovich, 23 April 1996
This flag was used up until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952.
Roy Stilling, 14 February 1996
The National Geographic Magazine (article "Flags
of the United Nations" by Elizabeth W. King), text p. 218, ill. p. 224
notes: "Credited by historians with being the first country to use flags, Egypt
employed celestial symbols at the dawn of history,indicative of the country's
early interest and achievements in astronomy. (...) After achieving
independence, Egypt adopted her present green National Flag to signify the
agricultural nature of the country."
Jan Mertens, 18 August 2005
The construction sheet can be compiled in different ways:
![[Flag of Egypt in 1923 - construction sheet]](../images/e/eg'39.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 12 November
2004
![[Flag of Egypt in 1923 - construction sheet]](../images/e/eg'39b.gif)
image by Martin Grieve, 16 April
2005
[Click on flag for larger image.]
A green flag with a white crescent and three five-pointed white stars within it. The construction sheet is provided relatively detailed in the Flaggenbuch [neu92] giving the ratio 2:3 with such details:
This is all Flaggenbuch gives, but it is not enough for precise construction
- namely the diameter of the inner circle of the crescent is still undefined. I
believe that this was defined by the requirement that the horns of the crescent
lay on the vertical line connecting two vertices of the fly-most star. So a
defined circle would have a diameter close to 140 according to my measurements.
Željko Heimer, 12 November 2004
![[Jack]](../images/e/eg~jack.gif)
image by
Miles Li, 19 May 2009
This image of the Kingdom of Egypt's naval jack is according to Jane's
Fighting Ships, 1939. I have serious doubts about the accuracy of the Kingdom of
Egypt flags shown on Jane's Fighting Ships during WWII. For instance, it showed
rank flags in the Italian style, when all other sources showed such rank flags
as the same as the naval ensign with star(s) in the fly.
Miles Li, 19 May 2009
![[Royal standard]](../images/e/eg_39r.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 15 November 2004
Source: Flaggenbuch
[neu92], Royal arms from
this
site.
Željko Heimer, 27 December 2001
A square blue flag with the coat of arms in the middle surrounded by the
chain of an order and with a crown in each corner. I am unaware what the order
is that is shown, but it is interesting to note that it is the same order that
surrounds the shield in the coat of arms itself, thus being shown twice in the
flag!
Željko Heimer, 12 November 2004
There [was] a quite acceptable image of the 1922-1953 Egyptian coat-of-arms
at Christian Siemer's Wappenlexikon website though it lacked the surrounding
order. This is, I believe, the Collar of the Supreme Class of the Order of
Muhammad Ali (Nishan al-Muhammad 'Ali), an image of which is available at the
Royal Ark website (second image from top):
http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Egypt/orders.htm. According to this webpage:
http://faculty.winthrop.edu/haynese/medals/egypt.html
"Before the revolution, this was the highest military and civilian award, and it
was only rarely conferred. The two highest classes were only conferred on royal
personages and heads of state. The order became obsolete with the revolution [of
1952] and was abolished in 1954. The medals were awarded for gallantry in
battle. The Chain of the Order of Muhammad Ali was quite rarely awarded, usually
to senior members of the royal family or to foreign royalty. Established: 14
April 1915 by Sultan Husayn Kamil."
Santiago Dotor, 15 November 2004
![[Royal standard - detail of arms]](../images/e/eg)39.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 15 November 2004
![[Royal standard - detail of arms]](../images/e/eg_crown.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 15 November 2004
![[Royal standard on land]](../images/e/eg_kingl.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 17 November 2004
Source: Flaggenbuch
[neu92]
The national flag with two white stars added one in each fly corner and a
royal crown proper in the canton. A slight difference from the national flag in
the construction of this
flag is that the center of the circle circumscribing the crescent is the the
exact middle of the flag, while in the national flag it is slightly off-set to
hoist.
Željko Heimer, 12 November 2004
![[Royal standard on land]](../images/e/eg_roywh.gif)
image by Mohamed Hossam, 21 April 2006
A stamp to commemorate the birth of a crown
prince shows this flag with a white crown.
[Editor's note: the image on the stamp also lacks the two stars in the fly and
appears to be swallow-tailed.]
Mohamed Hossam, 21 April 2006
![[Royal standard on land]](../images/e/eg_ryashr.gif)
image by Mohamed Hossam, 25 March 2008
Flaggenbuch of 1939 showed it as the national flag with crown in the canton
and two stars at the fly, while "Protocole du Royaume d'Égypte" of 1947
illustrated the Royal Standard without the stars, and the Crown Prince's
Standard being its swallow-tailed version.
Miles Li, 21 May 2009
![[Royal standard on land]](../images/e/eg_kinga.gif)
image by Željko Heimer and Miles Li, 16 May 2009
There is also a "Royal Standard (Air)" being a green-and-white striped flag with
a miniature royal crown, coloured, in the upper hoist corner.
Jan Mertens, 15 August 2005
![[Crown prince's standard]](../images/e/eg_39cp.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 17 November 2004
Source: Flaggenbuch
[neu92]
Blue rectangular swallow-tailed flag with the coat of arms in the
middle surrounded with the chain of the order.
Željko Heimer, 12 November 2004
![[Crown prince's standard]](../images/e/eg_prinl.gif)
image by Miles Li, 15 May 2009
![[Crown prince's standard]](../images/e/eg_prins.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 30 June 2010
Based on a stamp issued to commemorate the
birth of the crown prince. Assuming the stamp overdoes the size of the moon and
stars, as I feel is quite common, I have tried to create a white crown drawing
close enough that people will understand what it's supposed to be. I've also
turned the flag around, as the stamp clearly shows a sinister hoist. (For those
who were confused by that term: the flag shown with the hoist sinister = image
left = observer right.)
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 30 June 2010
![[Crown prince's standard]](../images/e/eg_prina.gif)
image by Željko Heimer and Miles Li, 16 May 2009
Like the Royal Standard, but swallow-tailed.
I found this image on a site about Queen Narriman, the last queen of Egypt:
http://queennarriman.com/Assets/Images/Gallery/S1.jpg.
Here is another picture showing detail of the crown:
http://queennarriman.com/Assets/Images/Gallery/X19.jpg.
The flag consists of, basically, a square national flag (pre-1958) with the
crescent centered and surrounded by a wreath, and topped with the royal crown:
http://queennarriman.com/Gallery/X21.htm,
http://queennarriman.com/Gallery/X20.htm, (with the royal arms too).
The ribbon below the crescent reads "Haras al Malik" (the king's guards - royal
guards). The emblem in the lower left corner is King Farouk's monogram crowned,
the one on the right, I believe is that of Queen Narriman.
Mohamed Hossam el Din, 12 December 2006
![[Naval Ensign]](../images/e/eg~39.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 13 November
2004
Source: Flaggenbuch
[neu92]
The ensign was green with a thin white crescent surrounding three
white stars, in the canton are two crossed and fouled anchors.
Nathan Augustine, 5 December 1995
It is interesting to note that the anchors (just as the swords in the army
flags) are practically the same as used still today! While Egypt drastically
changed its flag design in 1958 it seems that the flag system was retained in
spite the revolution until today.
Željko Heimer, 13 November 2004
image reported by Jan Martens, 1
October 2008
One item recently offered on eBay by “edwinart” was an Egyptian naval flag
with dimensions given as approx. 24 in x 36 in. The photo shows the foreign-made
green flag bearing a crescent less curved than prescribed and with the stars put
in a vertical line, staggered. A single fouled anchor, white as are the crescent
and stars, is placed in the upper hoist.
This flag is shown in the 1923
French Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives (f9r23),
Plate XXVI bis, no. 5: “Pavillon de la Marine” or Naval Ensign. Corr[ection] 9
says “Le pavillon n° 5 est modifié comme suit: 2 ancres entrecroisées au
lieu et place de celle qui est figurée”, or: flag nr 5 has been changed as
follows: 2 crossed anchors instead of the one which is shown. This has been
noted, in pencil, next to the picture.
Jan Mertens, 1 October 2008
![[Army flag]](../images/e/eg^39.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 13 November 2004
Source: Flaggenbuch
[neu92]
I believe that the flag of the Army was first (1922-25) with two
crossed cannons. In 1925, there were changed to two crossed swords but in a
different design than the first one. Later (unknown date) the
swords were changed, always with different design from the previous ones. I
believe also that the stars are larger and the crescent thicker.
Jaume Ollé, 11 August 1998
The national flag with two white sabres in saltire in the canton. Since I
conclude that the emblems are the same as today, I allowed myself slight
artistic freedom in interpreting the swords here not following the Flaggenbuch
to the last.
Željko Heimer, 13 November 2004
![[car flag]](../images/e/eg^car47.jpg)
image located by William Garrison, 29
November 2023
Source: https://historical.ha.com/
Circa 1947 Small military flag. 6" x 8" limousine flag made of cotton or a
synthetic fabric, sleeve hoist, embroidered in white and purple against a green
background. Sold with an Inventory Form from the Flag Heritage Foundation of
Lexington, Massachusetts and three letters addressed to Dr. Clarence Rungee.
These include two TLSs from from Crown Prince Saud Ibn Adbel Aziz (later King),
written in Arabic and English, and a TLS from the Social Secretary of the Royal
Legation of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C. All are dated 1947 and are mounted
to board. Ex: Dr. Clarence Rungee Collection.
William Garrison, 29
November 2023
![[Masthead pennant]](../images/e/eg~39mp.gif)
image by Željko Heimer, 14 November 2004
Long triangular green pennant with three white five-pointed stars in line
pointing towards fly.
Željko Heimer, 14 November 2004
image located by Jan Mertens, 10 October 2008
The 1923 French Album’s [f9r23] version of
the Egyptian masthead pennant is shorter than the one found in the 1939 German
Flaggenbuch. It is about 1.5 the length of the national flag as shown in the
same source. In this version, the stars are nearer the staff as well though
their gradually diminishing size may be an error – in any case, they are drawn
in an upright position whereas the 1939 source has them skewed.
Jan
Mertens, 10 October 2008
![[Air force flag]](../images/e/eg^raf.gif)
image by Željko Heimer and Miles
Li, 20 May 2009
I am unsure of the proportions. I have seen the flag depicted in
both 2:3 and 1:2 proportions; however, I chose to depict it as Kannik
did in his book [kan56].
Calvin Paige Herring, 15 August 1998
A light blue rectangular flag with the national flag in canton and the air
force roundel in the middle of the fly half. The roundel is a green-white-green
roundel.
Željko Heimer, 14 November 2004
The "Protocole du Royaume d'Égypte" of 1947 showed the Air Force Ensign with
a canton of the national flag one-third the length and width of the ensign, and
with the roundel at the centre of the fly two-thirds of
the length of the ensign - the same dimensions as used on the current Egyptian
Air Force Ensign.
Miles Li, 20 May 2009
![[Air force flag]](../images/e/eg^rf.gif)
image by Željko Heimer and Miles
Li, 20 May 2009
The "Protocole du Royaume d'Égypte" of 1947 showed the Royal Flight flag
as the Air Force Ensign with the national flag on the canton replaced with
the Royal Standard on Land, half the length and width of the ensign, and with
the roundel at the centre of the fly half of the length of the ensign.
Miles Li, 20 May 2009
![[Air force fuselage marking]](../images/e/eg_eaaff.gif)
![[Air force roundel]](../images/e/eg_reaf.gif)
![[Air force roundel]](../images/e/eg_reaf2.gif)
The following page gives an overview of roundels and other aircraft markings:
http://wp.scn.ru/en/markings/opers/meast/6
1932-1939: waving
national flag on fuselage, shortened form of national flag on wing tips, and
vertical VWV stripes on rudder.
1939-1945: roundel (augmented with white
royal crown) on fuselage and wings, vertical VWV panel on tailfin and rudder.
Photo of roundel with crown, clearly visible:
http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/images/V_Avro_Tutor_Egyptian_Army_AF_El_Amriya_December_1935.jpg
1945-1958 (renamed EAF in 1952): roundel (without crown again) on fuselage
and wings, vertical VWV stripes (broad lying rectangle) on tailfin.
Jan
Mertens, 23 November 2008
![[Minister of Defence/War/Marine of the Kingdom of Egypt]](../images/e/eg~mdwm.gif)
image by Miles
Li, 9 December 2015
The Flag of the Minister of Defence/War/Marine was green with a white fouled
anchor in the center.
Mohamed Hossam, 18 August 2005
The flag of the Minister of Defence/War/Marine of the Kingdom of Egypt,
according to Jane's Fighting Ships. I have serious doubts about the accuracy of
the Kingdom of Egypt flags shown on Jane's Fighting Ships during WWII.
Miles Li, 21 May 2009,
8 October 2014
