Coat of arms of Sudan

The current coat of arms of Sudan was adopted in 1969. It shows a Secretary Bird bearing a shield from the time of Muhammad ibn Abdalla, the self-proclaimed Mahdi who briefly ruled Sudan in the 19th century. Two scrolls are placed on the arms; the upper one displays the national motto, "An-nasr lana" ("Victory is ours"), and the lower one displays the title of the state, "Jumhuriyat as-Sudan" ("The Republic of Sudan").

The secretary bird was chosen as a distinctively Sudanese variant of the Eagle of Saladin and Hawk of Qureish seen in the emblems of some Arab states, and associated with Arab nationalism (see Coat of arms of Egypt etc.).

The earlier Sudanese state emblem consisted of a rhinoceros enclosed by two palm-trees, with "Jumhuriyat as-Sudan" as the only caption. ["The International Flag Book in Color" by Christian Fogd Pedersen (1971).]

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