🇪🇬 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.
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.
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.
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: RedThe 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 EgyptIn 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: OsirisAncient 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 blueMany 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)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: BlackThe 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 TutankhamunColour and feeling in Egypt
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.
In Arabic a kind, sincere person without malice is said to have a 'white heart', qalb abyad.
In Arabic a shameful act 'blackens the face' and an honourable one 'whitens' it, images that also appear in the Qur'an.
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
Colours tied to Egypt
#40E0D0
Turquoise
A blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decorationNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran +5
#120A8F
Ultramarine
A deep blue pigment once made from lapis lazuli, prized for centuries in artPigment · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +2
Brown
Pinto horse
A horse coat with large patches of white and another colourNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States +2
#E32636
Alizarin crimson
A deep red with blue undertones, once made from madder rootsNamed shade · 🇪🇬 Egypt
Blue
Blue hair
Hair coloured blue by dye, art, or nature’s rare effectsNamed shade · 🇯🇵 Japan +5
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Alizarin crimson: Sojol Rana, Public domain, source
- Pinto horse: Michael Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ultramarine: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Blue hair: Kevin Dooley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Turquoise: Reno Chris (original), Ra'ike (derivative work), Public domain, source