The Egyptian Flag

Egyptian flag(1984 - present)

Colour symbolism:
The red color refers to the period before 1952 Revolution which brought a group of army officers to power after deposing King Farouk, then King of Egypt. This was a period characterized by the struggle against the British occupation of the country. The white symbolizes the advent of the 1952 Revolution which ended the monarchy without bloodshed. The color black symbolizes the end of the oppression of the people of Egypt at the hands of the Monarchy and British colonialism.
The Emblem:
The symbol placed in the middle of the Egyptian flag is the eagle of Salah el din(Salah al-Din Yusuf) (1138-1193) who was the first Ayubid Sultan. He ruled over Egypt, Hejaz, Syria and Mesopotamia. He captured Jerusalem to the Latins in 1187 and signed with them a peace treaty in 1192.The use of the Salah el din eagle on Arab flags is modern, however.
Some flags seen in Cairo has the shield on the emblem as gold, white, gold; or red, white, black; or light gold hatching, white, dark gold hatching; or white, white, white with two gold vertical lines to divide the three parts.
The inscription on the ribbon is Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiya (Arab Republic of Egypt).
Even thou both the inscription of the former coat of arms Al-Jumhuriya (Al-Arabiya Al-Misriya) and Jumhuriyat Misr Al-Arabiya are translated to the same "Arab Republic of Egypt", there is a big internal political difference between the two. In the first (old) way - the Republic is first Arabic and then Egyptian, in the newer version it is first Egyptian and then Arabic.

Terminology & Etiquette in Egyptian Flag display:
- Hoist - the act or function of raising the Egyptian flag, as on a rope
- Half Staff or Half Mast - the Egyptian flag is hoisted to half of the potential height of the flag pole to denote grief and mourning, performed by first raising the Egyptian flag to the top, then lowering the Egyptian Flag halfway
- Distress - denoted by flying the Egyptian flag upside-down
- Manner of hoisting - The Egyptian flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously
- No disrespect should be shown to the Egyptian flag
- The Egyptian flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit the Flag to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way
- The Egyptian flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing on the flag of any nature
- The Egyptian flag should be hoisted first and lowered last(on Egyptian land)
- International Flag relating to Egyptian Flag usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace
Penal Provisions for Contempt of the Flag:
Abusing the flag in any way is a criminal offense and is punishable under law as it implies contempt of the power of the state. Penal provisions also govern abuse of foreign flags or national emblems of other countries.

History:
Muhammad Ali Dynasty (1805-1922)
To signify his autonomy from the Ottoman porte, and his own grandiose ambitions of challenging the Sultan for control of the Ottoman Empire itself, Muhammed Ali introduced a flag highly reminiscent of the Ottoman flag, with three white crescents and three stars on a red field. It has been suggested that this was to symbolize the victory of his armies in 3 continents (Africa, Asia, and Europe), or his own sovereignty over Egypt, Nubia, and Sudan.
After theUrabi revolt in 1882, British forces occupied the country, igniting ever greater nationalist resentment. This reached a peak in the Revolution of 1919, when both the red Muhammad Ali flag, and a special green banner bearing a crescent and cross (to show that both Muslims and Christians supported the nationalist movement against British occupation) were seen in the streets.
Kingdom of Egypt (1922-1952)
The first official national flag of modern Egypt was adopted by a Royal Decree in 1923, after Britain formally recognized Egyptian independence in 1922. It consisted of a white crescent with three white stars on a green background.
The three stars supposedly represented either the three parts comprising the Kingdom (Egypt, Nubia and Sudan), or the three religious communities of Egypt: Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Republic of Egypt (1952-1958)
Following the 1952 Revolution, the republic initially kept the green flag with the crescent and three stars of the kingdom but later replaced it with a red-white-black horizontal tricolour like today, but with a different style of eagle emblem in the white stripe, bearing a shield of the crescent and stars. It has since seen only changes to the central emblem: under the United Arab Republic (1958-1971), the white stripe contained two green stars; in 1972-1984, a Golden Hawk of Quraish; and since 1984, the Eagle of Saladin with a superimposed shield, and a scroll bearing the country's name in Arabic.
Egypt as United Arab Republic (1958-1972)
In 1958, a Presidential Decree established a new flag for the United Arab Republic which comprised a merger of Syria and Egypt.
Egypt continued to use this flag until January 1, 1972, although the short-lived union saw its dissolution in 1961.
Republic of Egypt (1972-1984)
In 1972, when Egypt joined the Federation of Arab Republics, the Law was amended to change the flag. The stars were removed from the flag and replaced by a golden hawk (the "Hawk of Qureish"), holding a scroll with the Arabic name of the Federation.
The change in 1984, in addition to restoring the Eagle of Saladin, restored the top red stripe to the same red used in the United Arab Republic flag. The flag of 1972 had lightened the red color slightly.

Other Flags:
Army flag

Navy

Air Force