Photogravure by the Survey Department, Cairo. Usage valid until 17 June 1955.

June 18th is an important day in the history of modern Egypt. On that day in 1953, Egypt was declared a Republic.  The royal rule that had continued after the revolution through Prince Ahmed Fouad II and the custody over his throne for about one year was terminated. Afterwards, it was officially announced that the Republic’s first Egyptian president would be Major General Muhammad Naguib. That decision was later deliberately forgotten because the actual men behind the revolt were led by Gamal Abdel-Nasser.  When he came to office, he tried to efface the landmarks of Major General Naguib’s presidency as if they had not existed in the modern history of Egypt. They forgot, or pretended to have forgotten, that on 18th June 1953 the Republic of Egypt was announced instead of the Kingdom of Egypt. The royal era was terminated and an important epoch started in the history of modern Egypt. It is, however, Egypt’s permanent tradition that when a new king comes, he cancels what was before.