Flag of the United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

Use| National flag and ensign
Proportion| 1:2
Adopted| 2 December 1971; 53 years ago (1971-12-02)
Design| A horizontal tricolour of green, white and black with a vertical quarter width red bar at the hoist
Designed by| Abdulla Mohammed Al Maainah

Not to be confused with Flag of the United Arab Republic.

The flag of the United Arab Emirates (علم دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة) contains the Pan-Arab colors red, green, white, and black. It was designed in 1971 by Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was 19 years old at that time, and was adopted on 2 December 1971 after winning a nationwide flag design contest.[1][2] The main theme of the flag's four colors is the sovereignty and unity of the Arab states.

Merchant ships may fly the alternative civil ensign, a red flag with the national flag in the canton. Emirates Airlines uses the UAE flag as part of their livery.

All seven emirates use the federal flag interchangeably as the flag of the emirate, however, with the exception of Fujairah, all also emirates have separate flags (though some emirates share the same flag).

## Design

[edit]

Historic photo depicting the first hoisting of the United Arab Emirates flag by the rulers of the emirates at the Union House in Dubai on 2 December 1971. Emirates Airlines includes the UAE flag in its aircraft livery.

### Construction sheet

[edit]

Construction sheet of the flag.[citation needed]

### Colors

[edit]

Colors  |  Green  | White | Black | Red

|
|
|
|

Meaning[3] | Plains of the Emirates | The Acts of the Emirates | The Battles and Dark Times of the Emirates | The Emirati Swords
Standard shades[4] | PANTONE | `PANTONE® 348` | `n/a` | `PANTONE® BLACK` | `PANTONE® 186`
CMYK | `100/0/100/15` | `0/0/0/0` | `10/0/0/100` | `0/92/77/22`
RGB | `0/115/47` | `255/255/255` | `0/0/0` | `200/16/46`
Hexadecimal | `#00843D` | `#FFFFFF` | `#000000` | `#C8102E`

## Gallery

[edit]

* Alternative civil ensign. (Flag ratio: 1:2)

* Flag of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces

* Flag of the United Arab Emirates Army

* Flag of the president of the United Arab Emirates

* Flag of the president of the United Arab Emirates (1973–2008)

* Fin Flash of the United Arab Emirates Air Force (low visibility)

* Flag of the United Arab Emirates Air Force

* Flag of the United Arab Emirates Navy

### Historical flags

[edit]

* Flag of the Hinawi (the Bani Yas – Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and Fujairah) and Ghafiri (Umm Al Quwain and Ajman) tribal confederations prior to 1820

* Flag of the Al Qawasim (Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah) prior to 1820

* Flag of the Emirate of Kalba (1921–1952)

* Flag of the Trucial States Council (1968–1971)

## Flag of each emirate

[edit]

Each of the seven emirates within the United Arab Emirates belonged to either the Hinawi or Ghafiri tribal confederations; both had a red banner representing the Hashemite dynasty and allegiance to the prophet Muhammad. The Qawasim, although part of the Ghafiri, had their own flag (a green, white, and red banner) which used to distinguish them as a maritime power. In 1820, after the British Empire campaign on Ras Al Khaimah, six out of the seven emirates signed the General Maritime Treaty with the British Empire, which compelled them to be under the British Protectorate rule and protection in the region. A white segment was imposed, to be added to each emirate's flag. At the time, Fujairah, not recognized as an emirate by the British and thus not a signatory of the 1820 general treaty, continued to use its plain red flag.[5]

On 6 November 1975, Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi took down the British-imposed flag, the White Pierced Red flag, from Sharjah, stating:

> After defeating the Al-Qawasim tribe, the British occupiers gave the Qawasim this flag to replace their own flag, which used to have three horizontal colours: green, white and red from top to bottom, with a Quranic inscription 'A victory from Allah and an imminent conquest' on the white part. The loss of our national flag occurred on Saturday 8 January 1820. So what I have done now is restore dignity to the citizens of Sharjah of today and to the citizens of Sharjah of the past, all of whom have been forced to salute the flag of the very aggressors who had removed our own flag, a flag that had symbolized the struggle of Al-Qawasim.[6]

On 15 November 1975, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, and Fujairah followed suit and replaced their flags with the federation flag. Soon after, the flags of the other emirates were lowered and the UAE flag was raised.[6]

### Abu Dhabi

[edit]

Flag of Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi's flag on a 1967 Abu Dhabi stamp.

The flag of Abu Dhabi is a red flag with a white rectangle at the top-left corner. According to the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British, in times of war a full red flag would be used by the Bani Yas (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).[7] Although per the treaty, Abu Dhabi was supposed to fly the White Pierced Red Trucial States flag, in practice it continued to fly a plain red flag. Percy Cox, the British Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincing Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan to adopt the Trucial States flag, which, Zayed argued, represented the Al Qawasim tribal federation.[8] Abu Dhabi later adopted a red flag with a top left white rectangle to distinguish it from the surrounding emirates.

### Ajman and Dubai

[edit]

Flag of Ajman Flag of Dubai Ajman flags painted at the Ajman Museum.

The flags of Ajman and Dubai are identical. They are both plain red with a white bar at the hoist, i.e. closest to the flag staff.[9] The flag is known as the White Red Halved and was adopted as an alternative to the Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah White Pierced Red by the Emirate of Dubai and Ajman to distinguish their authority from the Al Qawasim in defiance of the bonds of the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British.[10] To the British, this flag was titled as Trucial Coast Flag No.1 and Abu Dhabi and Umm Al Quwain were also expected to adopt it.[11] According to the treaty, in times of war a full red flag would be used by the Bani Yas (Abu Dhabi and Dubai)[7] and a full white flag by Ajman.[12]

The Shihuh of Musandam Peninsula (Ruus Al Jibal) also had a similar flag.[13]

### Fujairah

[edit]

Flag of Fujairah before 1952, and 1961–1975 Flag of Fujairah 1952–1961 Fujairah currently uses the national flag of the United Arab Emirates.

Before 1952, the flag of Fujairah was plain red. Fujairah did not sign the general treaty in 1820 with the British and therefore continued using its red plain flag.[5] From 1952 to 1961, the emirate's name was added to the flag, and a red flag with a white Arabic calligraphy of the emirate name (Arabic: الفجيرة, romanized: al-Fujayra) was adopted as an ensign to distinguish it from the surrounding emirates. In 1975, the plain red flag was abolished and the national flag of the United Arab Emirates is now used for official purposes.

### Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah

[edit]

Flag of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah (Al Qawasim) after signing the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British Empire Flag of Sharjah depicted on a Sharjah stamp of 1963.

The flags of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah are identical as they are ruled by two branches of the same house. The flags have a large red rectangle on a white background. The flag, known as the White Pierced Red flag, was the intended flag for all the Trucial States according to the 1820 Maritime Treaty with the British. It was widely attributed to the Al Qawasim tribal federation. Percy Cox, the British Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincing the rest of the emirates' Sheikhs to adopt it.[14] To the British, this flag was titled as Trucial Coast Flag No. 2.[11] According to the treaty, in times of war the original Al Qassimi flag (green, white and red flag) was to be used by the Qawasim.[15]

### Umm Al Quwain

[edit]

Flag of Umm Al Quwain

The flag of Umm Al Quwain consists of a red background, a white bar at the hoist similar the flags of Ajman and Dubai, and a large white star and crescent in the center, a symbol of Islam representing allegiance to the Islamic world.[9] The Umm Al Quwain flag was supposed to be the same White Red Halved flag as the one used by both Dubai and Ajman, but a star and crescent were added to distinguish it from the other emirates.[11]

Umm Al Quwain flag on a 1972 passport

## See also

[edit]

* United Arab Emirates portal

* Emblem of the United Arab Emirates
* Trucial States
* Pan Arab Colors
* Flag of Kuwait

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Farooqui, Mazhar (October 28, 2021). "Meet the Emirati diplomat who designed UAE's flag as a teenager". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
2. ^ "History of the United Arab Emirates Flag". Flagdom. Archived from the original on 2019-11-03. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
3. ^ "THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FLAG". www.protocol.dubai.ae. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
4. ^ "United Arab Emirates Flag and Official Portraits Guidelines For Federal Entities and Embassies" (PDF). p. 9.
5. ^ a b Complete Flags of the World. Smithsonian Handbooks. 2007. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-7566-4115-3.
6. ^ a b Al Qassimi, Sultan bin Mohammad (2012). Taking the Reins: The Critical Years, 1971-1977. London: A & C Black Business Information and Development. p. 5\. ISBN 9781408181171.
7. ^ a b Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (107/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 30 March 2017. p. 107\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
8. ^ Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (103/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 30 March 2017. p. 103\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
9. ^ a b Hawley, Donald. "The Trucial States". Twayne Publishers, New York, 1970. pp. 326-7.
10. ^ Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (151/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 21 April 1932. p. 151\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
11. ^ a b c Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (57/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 30 March 2017. p. 57\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
12. ^ Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (111/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 21 April 1932. p. 111\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2020.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
13. ^ Schofield, Richard N.; Blake, Gerald Henry (1988). Arabian Boundaries: Primary Documents. Vol. 26\. Archive Editions. p. 450\. ISBN 1852071303.
14. ^ Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (121/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 4 June 1932. p. 121\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
15. ^ Coll 30/15 'Anthems and Flags of Various States. Bahrein [Bahrain], Koweit [Kuwait], Muscat, Asir, Yemen, Qatar, Trucial, Oman' [61r] (113/261). British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers. 30 March 2017. p. 113\. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National flag of the United Arab Emirates.

* Official page for the U.A.E. Flag Day, as hosted by the U.A.E. Ministry of Culture and Youth
* U.A.E. Flag online guide, a website endorsed by the U.A.E. government
* Flag of United Arab Emirates – A Brief History
* United Arab Emirates Flag | All The Details Of Flag[usurped]
* First raising of the flag on 2 December, 1971 (photo)
* United Arab Emirates at Flags of the World
* Interview of the designer of the UAE flag
* Anthems and Flags of the Trucial States in the British Library
* "Flags of the UAE: what do the colours mean?" By James Langton, The National, Nov 3, 2021

* v
* t
* e

Flags of the Arab States

* Algeria
* Bahrain
* Comoros
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Libya
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Oman
* Palestine1
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic1
* Somalia
* Somaliland1
* Sudan
* Syria
* Tunisia
* United Arab Emirates
* Yemen

* 1 partially unrecognized

* v
* t
* e

Flags of Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

* v
* t
* e

National flags and coats of arms

National flags|

* Sovereign states
* Dependent territories
* Timeline

National coats of arms|

* Sovereign states
* Dependent territories

Heraldry portal

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates articles

History|

By period

* Prehistory
* Glacial period
* Hafit period
* Bronze Age
* Umm Al Nar culture
* Wadi Suq culture
* Iron Age
* Mleiha
* Post-Islamic Era
* Battle of Dibba
* Trucial States
* Post-independence
* Gulf War
* COVID-19 pandemic

|

By topic

* Ancient settlements
* Archaeology
* Slavery
* Postal history
* Wars
* Military history
* Political history

Geography|

* Cities
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Climate
* cloud seeding
* Emirates
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Sharjah
* Ajman
* Umm Al Quwain
* Ras Al Khaimah
* Fujairah
* Environmental issues
* Geology
* Islands
* Land reclamation
* Mountains
* Protected areas
* Territorial disputes
* Abu Musa
* Greater and Lesser Tunbs
* Saudi border dispute
* Wadis
* Wildlife
* Invasive species

Politics|

Federal

| Executive|

* Cabinet
* list
* Federal Supreme Council
* President
* Vice President
* Prime Minister

|

Legislative|

* Federal Supreme Council
* Federal National Council
* Elections
* 2006
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023

Judicial|

* Supreme Court

Law|

* Constitution
* Nationality

Intelligence|

* Signals Intelligence Agency

Uniformed|

* Armed Forces
* Air Force
* Army
* Navy
* Presidential Guard

Local

* Courts
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Common law courts
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Emirate rulers
* royal families
* Governments
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Sharjah
* Ajman

* Foreign relations
* Abraham Accords
* diplomatic missions
* US-UAE nuclear energy agreement
* Human rights
* blasphemy
* capital punishment
* freedom of religion
* LGBT
* migrant workers
* Justice system
* law enforcement
* Legal system
* abortion
* adoption
* cannabis
* guns
* Visa policy

Economy|

* Companies
* state-owned
* Corporate Law
* Currency
* Entrepreneurship
* Finance
* banks
* central bank
* Energy
* nuclear
* oil
* reserves
* solar
* power stations
* Free trade zones
* Dubai
* Taxation
* Tourism
* (Dubai)
* attractions
* Stock exchanges
* ADX
* DFM
* Nasdaq Dubai
* Local economies
* Abu Dhabi
* Dubai
* Telecommunications
* companies
* Internet domain
* regulator
* telephone numbers
* Transport
* airlines
* airports
* bridges
* national rail operator
* railways
* speed limits
* registration plates

Society|

| Culture|

* Anthem
* Architecture
* Artists
* Cinema
* Clothing
* Coat of arms
* Cuisine
* Flag
* Heritage sites
* Language
* Marriage
* Mass media
* newspapers
* television
* Museums
* Music
* National library
* Religion
* Bahá'í Faith
* Buddhism
* Christianity
* Hinduism
* irreligion
* Islam (official)
* Shia
* Judaism
* Sikhism
* Sport
* camel racing
* cricket
* grounds
* esports
* events
* football
* clubs
* stadiums
* ice hockey
* polo
* Time
* Women
* Writers

|

* Conscription
* Crime
* human trafficking
* prostitution
* terrorism
* Demographics
* Education
* (Abu Dhabi
* Dubai)
* schools
* universities
* Emiratis
* Afro-Emiratis
* Emirati Americans
* diaspora
* list
* Expatriates
* Americans
* Armenians
* Australians
* Canadians
* Chinese
* Filipinos
* Indians
* Indonesians
* Iranians
* Iraqis
* Jordanians
* Lebanese
* Pakistanis
* South Africans
* Syrians
* Health
* COVID-19
* vaccination
* healthcare
* hospitals
* HIV
* Holidays
* Commemoration Day
* Ramadan
* National Day
* Flag Day

* Outline
* Index

* Category
* Portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template