Sisi awarded it to Trump.. What is the Nile Necklace, Egypt's highest decoration?

 

Nile Necklace

Sisi awarded it to Trump.. What is the Nile Necklace, Egypt's highest decoration?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi decided on Monday to award US President Donald Trump the Nile Medal in appreciation of his contributions to peace efforts and conflict resolution, most recently his role in halting the war in Gaza.

What is the Nile Necklace, the highest Egyptian medal?

According to the official website of the Egyptian Presidency, the Collar of the Nile is the highest and most prestigious Egyptian decoration, and it holds paramount importance. It is personally awarded by the President of the Republic, who grants its recipient a signed certificate. Upon their death, recipients of the necklace are granted military honors.

The necklace dates back to 1915, during the reign of Sultan Hussein Kamel. It is the highest decoration in Egypt, followed by the Order of the Republic, second in rank, and the Sash of the Nile, third in rank.

According to Article 4 of Law No. 12 of 1972, the Nile Necklace may be awarded to heads of state, crown princes, and vice presidents, and may also be granted to those who have provided distinguished services to the nation or humanity.

The necklace is made of gold or gilded silver and consists of a chain consisting of three square units, each decorated with enamel and pharaonic symbols. The units are connected at the corners by two parallel chains, with a small lotus flower in the middle of each chain. The three units are repeated sequentially.

The first chain symbolizes the country's protection from evil, the second the prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile, and the third goodness and permanence. Each unit is connected to the next by a circular flower decorated with a circle of red stones and a blue stone in the center. It is suspended by rings in the middle of the square units, and the units are secured by their corners to the two branches of the chain.

The pendant is attached to a clasp in the shape of two lotus flowers. It features a circular shape decorated with pharaonic flowers, enamel, and red and blue stones. In its center is a raised motif representing the Nile, uniting the north (the papyrus) and the south (the lotus flower).

It is worth noting that among non-Egyptians, the necklace has been awarded to King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Emile Lahoud, former President of Lebanon, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, former Emir of Qatar, Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania, Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.

Among Egyptians who have received the medal are Presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat, Mohamed Naguib, Hosni Mubarak, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Adly Mansour. Other recipients of the medal include Dr. Ahmed Zewail, the Egyptian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Dr. Magdi Yacoub, the world-renowned heart surgeon; Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature; Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the former Minister of Defense; and Lieutenant General Saad el-Din el-Shazly, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, who participated in the October War.