The Arab Eagle, in Egypt also known as the Eagle of Saladin (نسر صلاح الدين‎‎) or the Republican Eagle (النسر الجمهورى) is used as an emblem in Arab nationalism. It’s currently part of the coats of arms of Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine. 

The association with Saladin is due to the depiction of an eagle on the west wall of the Cairo Citadel built under Saladin, although the eagle itself is of more recent date. Note that the word نسر nisr, which means either “eagle” or “vulture”, is used for Arab nationalism; the actual word for “eagle”, عقاب ʿuqāb is reserved as the name of the Black Standard used in Jihadism. In the Egyptian revolution of 2011, the eagle was associated with the Mubarak regime. Mehrez describes a stenciled graffiti depicting the Eagle of Saladin turned upside down as a call for the regime’s downfall.

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