The President of Egypt, His Excellency Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi conferred the highest civilian award of Egypt, 'Order of the Nile' on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 25 June 2023 at a special ceremony held at the Presidency of Cairo. This is the 13th highest state honor given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi has been honored with several honorary awards from various countries including the US, Russia and the Middle East during his tenure. PM Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian honor of Fiji and Papua New Guinea for his global leadership and championing the cause of the Global South.
What is Order of the Nile
According to the official website of the Egyptian presidency, the 'Order of the Nile' is awarded to heads of state, princes, vice presidents as well as individuals, both Egyptian and foreign, who have provided exceptional services to the country or humanity. The Order of the Nile (Kildat El Nil) was established in 1915 and was one of the leading orders of the Kingdom of Egypt until the monarchy was abolished in 1953. Subsequently it was reconstituted as the highest state honor of the Republic of Egypt.
Features of the Order of the Nile Award
The Order of the Nile is a pure gold collar consisting of three square gold units with pharaonic symbols on them. The first unit resembles the idea of protecting the kingdom from evils, the second unit resembles the prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile, and the third unit refers to wealth and stamina.
In the Order of the Nile, gold flowers studded with turquoise and ruby are attached to each other. It has a hexagonal pendant hanging from a collar at the end which is decorated with pharaonic style flowers, turquoise and ruby gems. In the center of the pendant, there is an embossed symbol representing the river Nile which is a symbol of bringing together the North and the South.