The current national emblem of Sudan was adopted in 1985.

Design

The emblem shows a

secretary bird The secretarybird or secretary bird (''Sagittarius serpentarius'') is a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savanna of the sub-Saharan region. John Frederick Miller describe ...

bearing a shield from the time of

Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad ( ar, محمد أحمد ابن عبد الله; 12 August 1844 – 22 June 1885) was a Nubian Sufi religious leader of the Samaniyya order in Sudan who, as a youth, studied Sunni Islam. In 1881, he claimed to be the Mahdi, ...

, the self-proclaimed

Mahdi The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad w ...

who briefly ruled Sudan in the 19th century. Two scrolls are placed on the arms; the upper one displays the

national motto This article lists state and national mottos for the world's nations. The mottos for some states lacking general international recognition, extinct states, non-sovereign nations, regions, and territories are listed, but their names are not bold ...

, ''An-nasr lanā'' النصر لنا ("Victory is ours"), and the lower one displays the title of the state, جمهورية السودان ''Jumhūriyat as-Sūdān'' ("Republic of the Sudan"). The coat of arms is also the Presidential seal and is found in gold on the flag of the

President of Sudan This article lists the heads of state of Sudan since the country's independence in 1956. History of the office Since independence was proclaimed on 1 January 1956, six individuals (and three multi-member sovereignty councils) have served as ...

and on the vehicles carrying the President and at his residence. The secretary bird was chosen as a distinctively Sudanese and indigenous variant of the "

Eagle of Saladin The Eagle of Saladin ( ar, نسر صلاح الدين, known in Egypt as the Egyptian Eagle ( ar, النسر المصري ), and the Republican Eagle ( ), is a heraldic eagle that serves as the coat of arms of many countries; coat of arms of Eg ...

" and "

Hawk of Quraish The Hawk of Quraish ( ar, صَقْرُ قُرَيْشٍ, ṣāqr Quraysh) is a symbol which is found on a number of emblems, coats of arms and flags of several states of the Arab League. The Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula, today especially those fro ...

" seen in the emblems of some Arab states, and associated with

Arab nationalism Arab nationalism ( ar, القومية العربية, al-Qawmīya al-ʿArabīya) is a nationalist ideology that asserts the Arabs are a nation and promotes the unity of Arab people, celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language a ...

(see

Coat of arms of Egypt The coat of arms of Egypt () is known as the Republican Eagle or Egyptian Golden Eagle, is a heraldic golden eagle, facing the viewer's left ( dexter). The eagle's breast is charged with an escutcheon bearing the red-white-black bands of the fl ...

, etc.).

History

During the period of

Anglo-Egyptian condominium Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ar, السودان الإنجليزي المصري ') was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the Sudans region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day ...

, the British Governor General of Sudan used an emblem that contained the words "GOVERNOR GENERAL OF THE SUDAN" surrounded by a laurel wreath. Upon independence in 1956 ,the

Republic of Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...

adopted an emblem depicting a

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

enclosed by two palm-trees and olive branches, with the name of the state, جمهورية السودان ''Jumhūriyat as-Sūdān'' ("Republic of the Sudan"), displayed below.''The International Flag Book in Color'' by Christian Fogd Pedersen (1971), p. 91. This emblem was used until 1970. File:Emblem of the Governor General of Anglo Egyptian Sudan.png, Emblem used by the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ar, السودان الإنجليزي المصري ') was a condominium of the United Kingdom and Egypt in the Sudans region of northern Africa between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day ...

File:Flag of Sudan (Bandung Conference).svg, Provisional emblem used to represent Sudan duruing the Afro-Asian Conference (April 1955) Image:Coat of arms of Sudan (1956–1970).svg, National emblem of the

Republic of the Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic ...

from 1956 to 1970. Image:Emblem of the Democratic Republic of the Sudan.svg, Emblem of the

Democratic Republic of the Sudan On May 25, 1969, several young officers calling themselves the Free Officers Movement (after the Egyptian officers who instigated the Egyptian revolution of 1952) seized power in Sudan and started the Nimeiri era in the history of Sudan. At ...

between 1970 and 1985. Image:Emblem of Sudan.svg, Emblem of the

used since 1985.

Sub-national emblems

Sudan is divided into 18 states and one area with special administrative status. Each state has adopted a distinct emblem for government use.

States

File:Seal of Blue Nile State.png,

Blue Nile The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water to ...

File:Seal of Central Darfur State.png, Darfur Central File:Seal of East Darfur.png, Darfur East File:Seal of North Darfur State.png, Darfur North File:Seal of South Darfur State.png, Darfur South File:Seal of West Darfur State.png, Darfur West File:Seal of Gezira State.png, Gezira File:Seal of Kassala State.png,

Kassala Kassala ( ar, كسلا) is the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. Its 2008 population was recorded to be 419,030. Built on the banks of the Gash River, it is a market town and is famous for its fruit gardens. Many of its inhabit ...

File:Emblem of Khartoum.jpg,

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

File:Seal of North Kordofan.png, Kordofan North File:Seal of South Kordofan.png, Kordofan South File:Seal of West Kordofan.png, Kordofan West File:Seal of Northern State (Sudan).png, Northern State File:Seal of Al Qadarif State.png, Al Qadarif File:Seal of Red Sea State.png,

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

File:Seal of River Nile State.png,

River Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest rive ...

File:Seal of Sennar State.png,

Sennar Sennar ( ar, سنار ') is a city on the Blue Nile in Sudan and possibly the capital of the state of Sennar. It remains publicly unclear whether Sennar or Singa is the capital of Sennar State. For several centuries it was the capital of the F ...

File:Seal of White Nile State.png, White Nile

Administrative areas

File:Emblem of the Abyei Area.png, Abyei Special Administrative Area

Regions

Emblem of the Darfur Regional Government.png, Darfur (

Darfur Regional Government The Darfur Regional Government is an administrative body for the Darfur region of the Republic of Sudan. A Transitional Darfur Regional Authority was established in April 2007 under the terms of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement signed in May 2 ...

)

Municipalities

File:Khartoum locality.png,

References

Sudan National symbols of Sudan Sudan Sudan {{Heraldry-stub