The current national emblem of Sudan was adopted in 1985. It shows a secretary bird bearing a shield from the time of Muhammad Ahmad, 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 lanā ("Victory is ours"), and the lower one displays the title of the state, Jumhūriyat as-Sūdān ("Republic of the Sudan").