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Rang

🇪🇬 The colours of Egypt

7 meanings recorded, 39 colours tied to the country.

Egypt’s national colours are red, white, and black, arranged in horizontal stripes on the flag. Red stands for the blood shed in the struggle against colonisation, white for the purity of Egyptians’ hearts, and black for overcoming darkness. The golden Eagle of Saladin in the centre links the flag to Egypt’s ancient heritage.

redThe blood of Egyptians in the fight against colonisation
whiteThe purity of Egyptians’ hearts
blackThe overcoming of darkness
goldThe Eagle of Saladin, linking to ancient Egyptian and Islamic history

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

The colours of the flag of Egypt

The Egyptian flag is made up of three equal horizontal stripes: red at the top, white in the middle, and black at the bottom. Each colour was given a meaning by the Free Officers after the 1952 revolution. Red recalls the sacrifices made in the fight against colonial rule. White is said to symbolise the purity of Egyptians’ intentions. Black represents the end of oppression and the triumph over hardship. In the centre of the white band sits the golden Eagle of Saladin, a symbol that connects modern Egypt to both medieval Islamic leadership and ancient Egyptian beliefs.

How the colours were chosen of Egypt

Egypt’s flag has changed several times, reflecting shifts in rulers and political ideas. Under Muhammad Ali, the flag resembled that of the Ottoman Empire, with crescents and stars. In the early 20th century, a green flag with a crescent and three stars was used, with the green said to represent the Nile valley and delta. After the 1952 revolution, the red, white, and black tricolour was introduced, marking a break from Ottoman and monarchical symbols and aligning with wider Arab nationalist movements. The eagle emblem has changed in style but always refers back to Saladin and, through him, ancient Egyptian symbolism.

Official shades and rules of Egypt

The flag must be flown on government buildings on Fridays, national holidays, and other official occasions. It is also displayed at border posts, consulates, and embassies abroad on specific days. Egyptian law treats disrespect or abuse of the flag as a criminal act, with penalties for violations. There are no official shade specifications given in the sources.

Where this page comes from

The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Flag of Egypt", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

What colours mean in Egypt

Customs vary by region, faith and family; these are the meanings most often recorded.

Compare with another country
Red

The ancient Egyptians called the desert deshret, the red land. Red was the colour of the god Set, of chaos and of danger, and scribes wrote unlucky words in red ink.

Danger and warningFearSource: Red
Red

The flag is red, white and black. Red recalls the struggle before the 1952 revolution, white the revolution itself, which was nearly bloodless, and black the end of oppression.

Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of Egypt
Green

In ancient Egypt green meant new growth and life after death. Osiris, god of the dead and of rebirth, was painted with green skin.

Nature and renewalSacred and holyHopeSource: Osiris
Blue

Ancient craftsmen made Egyptian blue, one of the first synthetic pigments, and blue-glazed faience for amulets. Blue stood for the sky and the Nile.

Sacred and holyProtection and healingAweSource: Egyptian blue
Blue

Many households hang a blue glass bead with an eye on it by the door or in the car to keep off the evil eye, known as hasad. Blue eye beads were already made in ancient Egypt.

Protection and healingSource: Nazar (amulet)
Black

The old name of the country, Kemet, means the black land, after the dark silt left by the Nile flood. To the ancient Egyptians black was the colour of fertile soil and new life.

Nature and renewalHopeSource: Black
Gold and metallics

The ancient Egyptians held that the flesh of the gods was gold, which never tarnishes. Royal coffins and masks, like Tutankhamun's, were made of it.

Sacred and holyRoyalty and powerAweSource: Mask of Tutankhamun

Colour and feeling in Egypt

Calm

The Qur'an describes the people of paradise dressed in green silk, and green is loved across the Muslim world as a colour of rest and blessing.

Trust

In Arabic a kind, sincere person without malice is said to have a 'white heart', qalb abyad.

Shame

In Arabic a shameful act 'blackens the face' and an honourable one 'whitens' it, images that also appear in the Qur'an.

Awe

Ancient Egyptians described the flesh of the gods as gold and their hair as lapis lazuli, and buried kings in both.

Colour cities of Egypt

Coptos 1Fayoum 1Hierakonpolis 1Sinai 1

Colours tied to Egypt

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
#FFFF00 Yellow A primary colour between green and orange, seen in sunlight, leaves, and pigmentsBasic colour · 🇫🇷 France +5 Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment · 🇫🇷 France +5 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 #40E0D0 Turquoise A blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decorationNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran +5 Blue Indigo A deep blue dye from plants, now mostly made synthetically and known for colouring denimDye · 🇮🇳 India +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #120A8F Ultramarine A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1 Black Kohlكُحْل A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Purple and violet Tyrian purple A reddish-purple dye once worth its weight in silver, made from sea snailsDye · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +4 #1034A6 Egyptian blue A vivid blue pigment first made in ancient Egypt from copper, lime, and sandPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #FADA5E Naples yellow A historic synthetic yellow pigment once prized by painters and pottersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1 Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Blue Tekheletתְּכֵלֶת A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye · 🇮🇱 Israel +2 #824B27 Mummy brown A transparent brown pigment once made from ground Egyptian mummiesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt #E32636 Rose madder A traditional red pigment made from the roots of the madder plantPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Black Ebony A jet-black hardwood valued for its smooth finish and rarityColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #FF9361 Blond hair A human hair colour ranging from pale yellow to golden or reddish tonesColour named from nature · 🇫🇷 France +4 Brown Pinto horse A horse coat with large patches of white and another colourNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +2 White Venetian ceruse A white lead-based cosmetic once prized for skin whitening in Renaissance EuropePigment · 🇮🇹 Italy +2 #E32636 Alizarin crimson A deep red with blue undertones, once made from madder rootsNamed shade · 🇪🇬 Egypt #FF4203 Minium A bright orange-red pigment made by heating lead, once common in medieval manuscriptsPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 #003399 Cobalt glass A deep blue glass coloured with cobalt compounds, used in art and decoration for centuriesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +2 Blue Blue hair Hair coloured blue by dye, art, or nature’s rare effectsNamed shade · 🇯🇵 Japan +5 Yellow Golden ochre A warm yellow pigment rich in iron, prized since ancient times for its pure colourPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +2 Blue Azurite A blue pigment ground from copper-rich mineral, common in medieval and Renaissance artPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +2 Gold and metallics Metal effect pigments Pigments that give paints and inks a metallic look using tiny metal flakesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1 Blue Blue A colour long prized in art, faith and dress, from ancient Egypt to modern flagsBasic colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Blue Blue pigment Pigments that give blue colour to paints, inks, and art from ancient times to todayPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Red pigment Pigments made from minerals, plants, and insects to create red colours in artPigment · 🇫🇷 France +4 Green Green pigment Pigments that give green colour to paint, ink, and art through historyPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Yellow Safflower A thistle-like plant whose petals yield red and yellow dyesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Yellow Weld A plant once prized for its bright yellow dyeDye · 🇫🇷 France +3 #D71345 Carthamin A red pigment and dye obtained from safflower flowersPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +1

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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