Saladin's Coat of Arms

[Atheling]

Hi Darrell,

Many of these eagle symbols are directly or indirectly referencing Imperial Rome, and the Eagle of Jupiter:







Cheers,
Scott

I hope I didn't put my foot in it? Not mean't to be so.

I guess the Eagle figure does have a strong military slant to it anyway.

Darrell.

[Teshub]

What an incredible response to this question, thank you all. I really appreciated that Eagle from The Citadel of Cairo without a doubt!

[A Lot of Gaul]

I hope I didn't put my foot in it? Not mean't to be so.

No offense taken, Darrell!  

I was just pointing out that many different governments have used the eagle and other symbols borrowed from the Roman Empire to suggest that they are similarly powerful and enduring. And that probably explains your initial reaction to the Egyptian eagle - because it does look very much like the ones used by the Nazis and the Italian Fascists (who also took their name from the fasces borne by Roman lictors), among others.

Cheers,
Scott

[Cubs]

... the Italian Fascists (who also took their name from the fasces borne by Roman lictors),

Which presumably explains why they were so full of faeces.

[Atheling]

No offense taken, Darrell!  

Ah, good... was worried a bit there when I re-read my post  .

I was just pointing out that many different governments have used the eagle and other symbols borrowed from the Roman Empire to suggest that they are similarly powerful and enduring. And that probably explains your initial reaction to the Egyptian eagle - because it does look very much like the ones used by the Nazis and the Italian Fascists (who also took their name from the fasces borne by Roman lictors), among others.

Yeah, it's quite amazing, but perhaps not surprising, that such iconography has stayed the course of time in it's symbolic meaning really.

Darrell.

[Arlequín]

Certainly you might describe Nasser's Egypt, from which the modern flag derives, as being essentially 'quasi-fascist'. Indeed given the meaning attached to each of the colours in the flag, the use of Saladin's Eagle in it pretty much backs A Lot of Gaul's point for me.
 

[emosbur]

Looks like I need to hand round some apologies because was dead wrong about this. I am really surprised because I thought Muslim societies never used images of living things.

I guess a day without learnin' something new is a day wasted.

Don´t worry! When I was at secondary school, we learnt too that spanish muslim art didn´t use live beings, because was forbidden by its religion. So they used stylized leaves (like) and geometric designs. But there are exceptions to all rules. Bytheway, I have never seen spanish muslim flags with live beings as devices, only geometric and arab script.
In Saladin´s case, I would say that Egypt was Fatimite (Shia) until he changed the country´s religion to sunnite. Sunnies are not so fervent. And coming from a warrior caste, I don´t see improbable that he used a personal badge of that kind.

Emilio.

[Rob_bresnen]

السلام الآن!
انقاذ الحيتان!
مستحضرات تجميل amazeballs!
كان كيلروي هنا!

I would have all four banners in an army. I think they'd look quite fetching.

Is there really no word in Arabic for Amazeballs! I find that very surprising!   

[cdr]

Heraldic Symbols Islamic insignia and Western Heraldry  mentions the following for the Ayyubids (the family of Saladin) : the Ayyubid rulers of Hama wore  bendy or, gules, or and sable a chief argent. Different rulers had an emblem on the chief eg. Muzaffar II a lion gules

hope this helps

Carl