ChrisW

Rusty, I want to echo Owain’s comments. Your work here exemplifies the best aspects of enthusiasm, passion, expertise, deep research, and sharing. It lies at the intersection of numerous fascinating topics ranging from family history, colonial history, legal history, and Egyptian history. It does need to be a book, website, or something. Many thanks for all you do, Chris

Fantastic photos, thanks Emmanuel!

Superlative work, Antonio! The photos in this article might be useful for colors of some of the new medals, there are a number of ribbons I don’t recognize. https://egyptian-gazette.com/egypt/historic-milestone-egyptian-military-academy-opens-new-headquarters-in-the-nac/

Wow!!! Exceptionally useful and fast searches from both of you! Many thanks! I found some additional details on the criteria for the Artillery Day medal, from this Egyptian newspaper. https://www.masrawy.com/news/news_egypt/details/2018/10/10/1441754/-معركة-المدافع-الكبرى-لماذا-حدد-الرئيس-ميدالية-عسكرية-لسلاح-المدفعية- It seems the medal commemorates the 50th anniversary of a particular artillery clash which occurred on 8 September 1969, rather than the founding of the artillery corps. A loose translation of the relevant text: The Official Gazette published, on Tuesday, in its issue dated October 4, Presidential Decree No. 459 of 2018, issuing a commemorative medal for the Golden Jubilee of the Artillery Corps. The presidential decree specified the specifications of the artillery medals, which are in line with the fiftieth anniversary of the Great Cannon Battle along the Suez Canal during the War of Attrition, to be of one layer “of bronze” according to the attached drawings and specifications, and to follow in order the military medals issued so far. Article Two stipulates that this medal shall be awarded to all members of the Artillery Corps who are in service on September 8, 2018, as follows: all officers, non-commissioned officers, and students of the Military College (Artillery Wing). The story of September 8, which the Armed Forces designated as Artillery Day, dates back to the year 1969, when the General Command of the Armed Forces decided to open artillery fire on all enemy points along the front line of the Suez Canal.

Megan, I’ll let you know if I find anything but sadly I’m not optimistic!

As I studied photos of the new Egyptian Defense Minister and Armed Forces Chief of Staff I’ve identified two new Egyptian medals. One is the 50th anniversary medal for the Army’s artillery branch. There are medals commemorating the anniversaries of the Air Force, Air Defence Force, and Navy, and I’ve seen coins and unit-level awards for Army branches of service (including artillery) which are not authorized for wear alongside medals, but this is the first time such a medal has been issued and worn. Artillery has existed as a separate branch of the Army since at least the 1920s so I’m not clear what the anniversary represents. The other is the Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 campaign medal. The armed forces and police had been conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations in the Sinai peninsula since 2011, and in February 2018 launched a new operation called “Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018” which arguably was larger and more effective than previous ones. According to this Egyptian newspaper article (https://www.elwatannews.com/news/details/4984144) President ElSisi created the medal in September 2020, in two or three grades: gold for officers, silver for NCOs, and bronze for enlisted men of the armed forces and police. (The article is a little unclear in the Google translation I read.) The article did not give the eligibility criteria. Photos of the two medal ribbons are attached, they’re circled in red. You can see the Artillery Day medal in both photos, it’s the black/red diagonally divided ribbon. The Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018 ribbon is yellow edged in red/white/black.

In Egypt, Mother’s Day is on 21 March. As part of government celebrations, this is often the time when awards of the Order of Kamal, Second Class, are made to exemplary mothers. This year, the award ceremony was held a couple of months later, in May. Press reports give us some idea of typical recipients and what actions are deemed appropriate to warrant granting the medal. This year, one “ideal mother” was selected from each of Egypt’s 26 governorates. Also, the monetary award associated with the medal was increased from 50,000 Egyptian pounds to 100,000 Egyptian pounds, probably to account for steady devaluation of the currency. This article (https://www.vetogate.com/5158548) is one of several I found, with more photographs than some of the others. It’s in Arabic but is easily translated if you view the link in Google Chrome or put the text into an online translation tool.

Very interesting story behind this medal, thanks for bringing it to light

Magdy Hanafy’s new book on Egyptian medals (titled “Encyclopedia of Egyptian Protocol”), which is mentioned in a separate thread here, has some important new information on the Palestine War medal. It immediately answered some longstanding questions I had on the qualifications to receive the medal, and also the two devices worn on the medal: the “Events in Palestine” bar and the lotus blossom. As such, I have updated my earlier blog post on the medal: https://egyptianaskari.wordpress.com/2023/11/29/the-palestine-war-1948-medal/

I just received my copy of this book the other day, and all I can say is, wow, well done. If you’re serious about Egyptian/Arab/Middle Eastern orders and medals, this book absolutely deserves a place on your shelf. Several questions which had dogged me for decades were immediately answered during a quick skim through it. The text is nearly 50-50 English and Arabic, the printing and photo quality are excellent, it’s well-bound. There are a few typographical errors I noticed, which could have been easily corrected, but they don’t detract. I asked the Ebay seller to make sure it was packaged securely, and — even though it was only slightly more well-packed that Owain’s description above (my copy was plastic-wrapped and placed inside a paper shopping bag inside the DHL plastic bag), it arrived in very good condition. Yes, it’s expensive, but arguably worth it for some people. Chris

Thanks for the excellent review, Owain. This book does indeed look very good. I purchased a copy off Ebay and am eagerly awaiting it.

Egypt’s parliament on 29 January 2024 moved to create a new civil medal, the Great Builder Medal, according to Egyptian press reports. This would recognize efforts by Egyptians, military and civilian, and foreigners, for exceptional accomplishments in the planning, design, construction, or support for major infrastructure projects These infrastructure projects have been a hallmark of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s tenure, ranging from the expansion of the Suez Canal, to numerous roads and bridges, to the construction of new cities culminating in the New Administrative Capital being built east of Cairo. The medal will come in three classes, although no details were published, other than the monetary awards which come with each class (250,000 Egyptian pounds, 150,000 Egyptian pounds, and 100,000 Egyptian pounds respectively). The monetary awards will not go to foreign receipients of the medal. The new medal will rank between the Order of Sports and the Medal of Distinction in Egypt’s civil decorations system. (The full order of precedence is now the Collar of the Nile, Collar of the Republic, Grand Cordon of the Nile, Order of the Republic, Order of Merit, Order of al-Kamal, Order of Labor, Order of Sciences and Arts, Order of Sports, Great Builder Medal, Medal of Distinction, and Medal of Merit.) No other details were announced, such as its appearance (it probably hasn’t been designed yet), more detailed award criteria, and when it might be issued. Sources: https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/3087816 https://akhbar.live/التفاصيل-الكاملة-لتعديل-قانون-الأنوا/

Best of luck in hearing back from the author and with your colleague’s visit in March! Thanks very much for the offer. I’ll give it some thought. Judging from the table of contents, the sections on the Military Star, Medal of Duty, Palestine Medal, Order of Liberation, and “Civilian and Military Official Outfits” could be of most interest to me. In general, I’d be most interested in any information on the medals that hasn’t already been published in the official protocols or existing works - such as numbers awarded, stories of recipients, award documents, variations, and that sort of thing. Best, Chris

Thanks for alerting the community of this new book, Rusty. Any new reference on Egyptian medals is most welcome. There is a brief overview of this book on this site dedicated mostly to Arabic numismatics and philately: https://arabcollector.com/موسوعة-المراسم-المصرية/ The site should have an English-language tab at the top, and if that doesn't work you can view the site through Google Chrome or run the text through Google Translate for a translation. The article doesn't give much additional information or page views, unfortunately. Best, Chris

For those interested, I’ve updated and rewritten my earlier posts on Egypt’s 1948 Palestine medal into an article for my new blog: https://egyptianaskari.wordpress.com/2023/11/29/the-palestine-war-1948-medal/ Regards, Chris