The announcement comes as Sharm El-Sheikh prepares to host more than 20 heads of state and prime ministers for the Summit for Peace, co-chaired by President El-Sisi and President Trump. The Red Sea resort city is once again set to take centre stage in global diplomacy.
The summit follows the ceasefire taking effect on Friday, marking the end of Israel’s two-year genocidal war on Gaza after four days of intensive negotiations between Israeli and Hamas delegations in Sharm El-Sheikh.
The Nile Collar (Kiladat Al-Nil), Egypt’s highest state honour, is a gold decoration adorned with Pharaonic motifs and rubies and turquoise stones. It symbolizes the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt through the life-giving Nile River.
Traditionally awarded by presidential decree, the distinction is reserved for heads of state, national leaders, and eminent figures whose efforts have provided exceptional service to Egypt or humanity.
Among Egyptian recipients are Taha Hussein, the Dean of Arabic Literature; Nobel laureates Naguib Mahfouz, Ahmed Zewail, and Mohamed ElBaradei; world-renowned heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub; and the late President Anwar El-Sadat, honoured posthumously for his leadership during the 1973 October War and the subsequent peace negotiations.
Other prominent Egyptians who have received the collar include Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Adly Mansour, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Umm Kulthum, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, and Saad El-Shazly, reflecting the award’s recognition of excellence across Egypt’s scientific, cultural, and national spheres.
International recipients include King Hussein of Jordan, Queen Elizabeth II, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, former US President Jimmy Carter, Lebanon’s Émile Lahoud, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who received the honour during his visit to Cairo in June 2023.
The award recognizes President Trump’s role in securing the Gaza ceasefire through a US-backed peace plan mediated by Egypt and Qatar in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace roadmap begins with a comprehensive ceasefire, the release of all captives, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces to agreed lines.
The plan also suggests the demilitarization of Hamas, the establishment of a transitional governance authority in Gaza under international supervision, and the launch of a large-scale reconstruction programme supported by regional and global partners.
Later stages of the plan envision Palestinian elections, economic revitalization projects, and the deployment of an international stabilization force to oversee the post-war phase.
Egypt has played a central mediating role throughout the negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh, leveraging its diplomatic relations with all parties to ensure the deal’s success and coordinate humanitarian aid and reconstruction logistics through the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC).
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