oamotme

Peter, On the reverse of the star the brooch pin mounts, or where they were, are visible and indeed the body of the star looks to have been well made but now has some wear. I agree with you it is quite an attractive combination of 'badge' and star but I suspect that the badge was at one stage a stand alone piece. Regards, Owain

Frank, Straying is an ever present danger. For a number of years I had strayed into Afghanistan and Iran but on realizing the huge array of awards issued and the unlikeness of ever being able to complete or afford such collections some years ago I disposed of the medals I had amassed, and to be hones don't regret it. Of course I have succumbed to straying elsewhere, Sierra Leone included, and have built up a decent collection of Imperial Ethiopian awards and also a number of medals (no orders!) from Bahawalpur. When I next visit UK I'll see if I can find the Sierra Leone medals mentioned above and detail the naming on the medals. Regards, Owain

Gentlemen, Recently I was contacted by a fellow collector with a view to identifying a mysterious breast star. As the badge was of silver niello work it was perhaps similar to the badges of the Imam Shamil Period of the 1850's. Initially I thought it was perhaps an Imam Shamil badge affixed to a breast star piece but the style of the Arabic is different and I could not make out any names or key words such as 'bravery', 'hero' or 'lion'. Also the niello work is different – the script is silver and the surround is niello rather than the traditional reverse format of the script being ‘black’. I thought it may be a Koranic inscription or perhaps some from of saying. Accordingly I referred it to one of my colleagues who is an expert in 'difficult' Arabic to see if he could translate the inscription. His response was as follows "Interesting: it’s from a poem called Fawa`id Hasana (“Good lessons”) by Mustafa Wuhaib Al-Barudi (1874-1943). This is how it shows on the medal: The world is like the shade of a cloud; it shelters you for a day, and then is gone away Do not rejoice at it when it comes near, and do not grieve for it when it has gone. ألا إنما الدنيا كظل سحابة أظلتك يوما ثم عنك اضمحلت فلا تك فرحانا بها حين أقبلت ولا تك جزعانا بها حين ولت An unusual choice for a medal, I suggest! Here is the original, with a small difference from the version quoted in the medal highlighted in yellow, and a link to the poet’s biography." http://www.almoajam.org/poet_details.php?id=7384 The poet is Lebanese and this is appropriate to the niello work which was a style popular in the Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The badge/star is quite an attractive piece but not at all either a civil or military award. Some enterprising 'dealer' will try to pass this off as something it is not! Kind regards, Owain

Peter, No problem - a sensible suggestion. Frank, I'll next be back in UK in April and check my medals then in the meantime I'll revert back to my Arabic awards which confusing as they are, are less confusing (to me) than the awards of Sierra Leone! Owain

Gentlemen, Some years ago on EBay Idi Amin's Saudi certificate accompanying the Collar of the Great Badr - highest Saudi state award to Muslim Heads of State was offered for sale - I bid in vain hope and was unsuccessful. As to the collar - it was of gold and thus I suspect 'disappeared' at some stage. The certificate is signed and dated 1972 by King Faisal and presented to "His Excellency President Idi Amin Dada President of the Republic of Uganda". Regards, Owain

Megan, You are most welcome - if I can assist with any other Arabic awards please let me know. Regards, Owain

Frank, I would suspect that perhaps this is indeed a valid early piece but this really isn't my field - I strayed from Arabia when friend gave me an example of a Sierra Leone Civil Defence Force medal. I believe my two medals are named but they are in the UK. To confuse matters and from my notes..... Sierra Leone General Service Medal – this although bearing the head of the Queen on the obverse was a British Commonwealth issue medal and medal was authorised under DCI 256 of 1956 for award to the Royal Sierra Leone Armed Forces and police personnel involved with minor operations within and without Sierra Leone territory. A clasp "CONGO" was authorised to denote that specific operation and the medal was awarded to seconded British personnel for the period 26th January 1962 and 28th February 1963. The medals were issued unnamed. The medal became obsolete when Sierra Leone introduced its own series of awards in 1971 when the Republic was declared. As you can see from the medal there is no word "Republic" on the reverse. Regards, Owain

Indeed it is a poor thing - it has seen better days and now scrap! Owain

Frank, To date I have not seen a QE2 type and to be honest I haven't been looking, but that doesn't necessarily mean that one does not exist......Regards, Owain

Chris, Dick, Zog, Thanks for your comments - lists to follow. The original decrees at the Alexandria Library are interesting - these have been published in various protocol books subsequently, but what is to me of value is that the above publication at the Library includes the decree for the Order of the Felaha which is absent from later publications. I had an article published on this order in JOMSA in November - December 2003 - I will need to revisit this article. A great find Zogist! Owain Gentlemen, Further to my earlier post I detail below the awards included in the book - much of the detail Chris would like is not present but nonetheless a comprehensive list of all of the official state awards. Where there is more than one class I have noted accordingly and included the date. I have also on occasion noted the more usual English title but in most cases I have translated from the Arabic 'as is'. Regards, Owain Kingdom Of Egypt (includes Sultanate of Egypt) Order of Mohammed Ali – Collar & 1 Class Order of Ismail – 4 Classes Order of Nile - 5 Classes Order of Agriculture – 3 Classes (This is the King Fouad issue) Order of Education - 3 Classes Order of Industry & Trade – 3 Classes Order of Perfection (Kamal) – With Diamonds & 3 Classes Collar of Fouad 1 Decoration of Merit (Meritorious Acts) – 3 Classes Decoration of Duty (Devotion to Duty) – 3 Classes Decoration of Benevolence (Grace & Favour) – 3 Classes Medal of Marriage of King Farouk, 1937 (Only notes the silver grade) Order of Fouad’s Military Star Decoration of Mohammed Ali - 2 Classes (This is the Bravery Medal) Medal of Palestine, 1948 (Subsequent Republic reversed issue not noted) Medal Commemorating Centenary of Mohamed Ali, 1949 Republic of Egypt Collar of the Nile Collar of the Republic Order of the Nile Order of the Republic – 5 Classes Order of Independence – 5 Classes Order of Science & Art – 3 Classes Order of Sport – 3 Classes Order of Kamal – 4 Classes Order of Civil Duty – NO PICTURE Order of the Star of Liberation (Police), 1952 Decoration of Bravery (Civil), 1953 Decoration of Merit – 3 Classes, 1953 Decoration of Incorruptibility, 1953 Decoration of Sport, 1953 Order of the Military Star Order of Liberation, 1952 Decoration of Liberation, 1952 Decoration of Military Duty – 3 Classes, 1953 Decoration of Mobilisation – 3 Classes, 1953 Decoration of Shooting (Marksmanship), 1953 Decoration of Military Evacuation, 1954 NO PICTURE Decoration of Military Independence - 2 Classes, 1956 – NO PICTURE Decoration of Victory – 2 Classes,1958 – NO PICTURE Decoration of Exceptional Promotion, 1953 Medal Commemorating the Silver Jubilee (25th) of the Air Force – 2 Classes, 1957 - NO PICTURE United Arab Republic 1958-1971 Order of Friendship (Aswan Dam), 1964 (Only notes the Arabic and not the bilingual - with Russian version) Order of Labour - 4 Classes Decoration of Distinction - 3 Classes, 1966 Order Commemorating the United Arab Republic, 1958 Order of the Star of Honour Decoration of Military Bravery – 3 Classes, 1959 Decoration of the Republic – Military – 2 Classes, 1959 Decoration of Training – 3 Classes, 1959 Decoration of Excellent Service Decoration of Shedwan (Island), 1970 Medal of Long Service and Good Conduct – 2 Classes, 1959 Medal of War Wounded, 1959 Medal of the Army Day, 1959– NO PICTURE Medal of the 10th Anniversary (1962) of the 23 July Revolution, 1952 – NO PICTURE Medal of the Navy Day, 1962-65 – 2 Classes - NO PICTURE Medal of the Air Force Day, 1970-73 – 2 Classes - NO PICTURE Arab Republic of Egypt 1982 to date (Eagle changed in 1984) Order of Merit – 5 Classes Decoration of 25 January Revolution, 2011 - Military Medal of 25 January Revolution, 2011 - Military Order of the Republic, – 5 Classes Order of the Star of Sinai – 2 Classes Decoration of 25 April, 1982 Medal of the 20th Anniversary (1972) of the 23 July Revolution 1952 Medal of Combatants of October 1973 – 2 Classes Medal of 6 October 1973 Medal Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Air Force (1932- 1982) – 2 Classes NO PICTURE Medal of Liberation of Kuwait 1991, – 2 Classes Medal Commemorating the Silver (25th) Jubilee (1998) of the Victory of October 1973 Medal of the Golden (50th) Anniversary (2002) of the 23 July Revolution 1952 Medal Commemorating the Silver (25th) Jubilee (2007) of the Liberation of Sinai

Gentlemen, The book arrived yesterday. My initial reaction is that the author deserves all credit for getting such a book into print. It is the only such book and thus worthy of praise. In his preface the author notes that it has taken some ten years to compile and indeed it displays a great deal of work and he is to be commended for his efforts. The book is basically divided into five main sections The Kingdom of Egypt (inc. the Sultanate) Republic of Egypt United Arab Republic Arab Republic of Egypt United Nation Is it perfect? No, but its publication as a major step forward for collectors of Egyptian awards. Do I have observations - yes, but I readily admit that as a collector of Egyptian awards for many years I am perhaps being picky! The book is wholly in Arabic - understandable, however some form of English summary would have been welcome. Many of the images - all on full page displays, are taken from images elsewhere - inevitable given the scarcity of some of the awards. All ribbons have been computer generated. Some of the scarcer medals are not illustrated - the author freely admits he has not been able to find pictures. Where possible instituting decrees are noted and given in full - but some are missing. Variations of medals are not illustrated especially the common medals bearing the various different state titles. Some awards are missing - e.g. the Order of the Filaha of Sultan Hussain Kamel, Sadat's neck badge of the Star of Sinai, the post-1952 version of the 1948 Palestine War Medal, etc. In general the awards are listed in chronological order of institution but there are also copies of decrees concerning the various orders of precedence for wear. Much of the book would benefit from translation and my next post will be a listing, in book chronological order, of all of the awards included in the book. All in all I would congratulate the author on his success in getting such a book into print - an admirable achievement. I suspect it will have a limited run and thus in years to come it will be regarded as a key source of information of the awards of Egypt. I will endeavour to draft a more thorough review for JOMSA. Regards from a cold Riyadh, Owain

Chris , I have also ordered a copy as - and when it arrives in Riyadh I'll let you know! Owain

Chris, The medals, instituted with the Order of Mohammed Ali in 1915, were in gold and silver and were the senior decorations for bravery for both the army and the navy. Whether these were superseded by the Military Star of King Fouad is unknown but I suspect the latter was more of a decoration for leadership similar the British Distinguished Service Order (DSO). A pair of the Mohammed Ali bravery medals are on display amidst the medal collection at the Abdine Palace in Cairo - see below - gold obverse & silver reverse. Some years ago I was fortunate in being able to get a silver medal but I have never seen a gold one for sale. Many years ago in Cairo I was able to obtain a selection of ribbons which included numerous examples of this ribbon - sad to say no medals! Regards, Owain

It looks as if it is of some age but to be honest I really have no idea - other than the Arabic way out if my field of expertise. Owain

Gro, Just seen this. The Arabic translates as follows: Top : "No god but Allah - Mohammed the messenger of Allah" Centre : "Allah" Bottom : "Congress of the Japanese Islamic Association" Regards, Owain

Dear GRM, I think is an Egyptian sports badge - the second word is For Sport (lil-riyadiya) - possibly National Sports Clubs??? Regards, Owain

Chris, Many thanks for this - good to see a publication on such awards, The images do look, to me, as if they have been acquired from the various Government protocol books. Whilst the orders may be better known it will be interesting to see whether the book deals with the numerous commemorative medals issued by both the Kingdom and the Republic, and also whether it details the variations of medals within the Republic, i.e. Republic of Egypt, United Arab Republic and Arab Republic of Egypt. Again thank you for bringng this to our attention. Regards, Owain

Ilja, Greetings from Riyadh - the other inscription reads "Jumhuriya Al Sudan Dimocratiya" (Democratic Republic of Sudan). Kind regards, Owain

Chris, Sadly the medal detail is not there - even for us Egypt enthusiasts. I would suggest the end medal in both images is the Italian Order of the Crown. The large medal in the centre of the large group is, I am fairly certain, a Royal Afghan award. The first ribbon on the lower smaller group, blue with yellow edge stripes is the Order of the Nile. As to the rest........ Owain

Paul, No - other that the Mother Battle medal which was locally produced, the others if found mint are decent medals of assorted European manufacture. These appear to be a motley selection of poor condition pieces put together as a souvenir which of itself is fine but as stand alone medals they are fairly worthless. Regards from Riyadh, Owain

Scott, In brief they are, left to right: Ramadan War Medal - missing central enamel/paint - incorrect ribbon. Active Service Medal - either Monarchy or Republic - damaged - missing lower rifle butts - incorrect ribbon. Mother of Battle Medal. War Wounded Medal - incorrect suspension & ribbon. Kind regards, Owain

Dear Emmanuel, Christmas greetings from Riyadh. It is interesting to note that the Arabic on the reverse of the 'Medaille De la Valeur Militaire' reads, 'Order of Military Merit' (Wissam Al Isthaqaq Al Askari). The 'Medaille Des Blesses De Guerre' reads 'Order of War Wounded' (Wissam JIrhai Al Harb). The obverse of the sports medal reads 'Mauritania' and the reverse reads, I think, 'Justice, Brotherhood, Honour' (A'adel Akha'a Sharf). Kind regards, Owain

Ilja, Christmas greetings from Riyadh! The small circle reads "Order of Persistence" - I will need to check the other inscription. Regards, Owain.

I think your is a YAR issue - the YRC was set up in the mid-1960's. Ribbon unknown but possibly red or red & white?? Owain

Henk-Willem, Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) 1962-1990. Peoples Republic of South Yemen (PRSY) 1967-1969. People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) 1968-1990. Republic of Yemen (RoY) 1990 to date. Regards, Owain