The
national flag of the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
( ar, علم دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة) contains the
Pan-Arab colors
The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four Pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain aspect of the Arabs and their history.
The black represents the Black Standard used by the Rashidun Calip ...
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. The main theme of the flag's four colors is the unity of Arab nations. In 2008, there was a minor change to the Emblem.
Merchant ships may fly the alternative
civil ensign
A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag ...
, a red flag with the national flag in the
canton.
Emirates Airlines
Emirates ( ar, طَيَران الإمارات DMG: ''Ṭayarān Al-Imārāt'') is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (the other being Etihad). Based in Garhoud, Dubai, the airline is a subsidiary of The Emirates Group, whic ...
utilises the UAE flag as part of their livery.
All seven Emirates use the federal flag interchangeably as the flag of the emirate.
History
Ancient flags
File:Standard of Cyrus the Great (Achaemenid Empire).svg, Achaemenid Empire
File:Derafsh Kaviani flag of the late Sassanid Empire.svg, Sasanian Empire
File:Umayyad Flag.svg, Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
File:Abbasid banner.svg, Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
File:Flag of Muscat.svg, Omani Empire
The Omani Empire ( ar, الإمبراطورية العُمانية) was a maritime empire, vying with Portugal and Britain for trade and influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence or control ...
File:شعار دولة بني خالد.jpg, Jabrids Emirate
Historical flags
File:Flag of the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa.svg, Flag of the Emirate of Diriyah
The Emirate of Diriyah (), also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727 (1139 Hijri year, AH). In 1744, the emir of Najdi town called Diriyah Muhammad bin Saud and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed a ...
(1727–1818) and the Emirate of Najd (1824–1891)
File:Red flag.svg, Flag of the Hinawi The Hināwī are one of two major tribal groupings of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Ghāfirī. Characterized as two significant factions having distinct interests and organizations, their rivalry began approximately 2000 years ago ...
(the Bani Yas
Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...
– Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and Fujairah) and Ghafiri The Ghāfirī (also ''Ghafiri'' or ''al-Ghafiriyah'') are one of two major tribal confederations of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Hināwī. Both confederations claim their origin to the Bedouin tribe and the Ghafiri also trace the ...
(Umm Al Quwain and Ajman) tribal confederations prior to 1820
File:Qawasim Flag.svg, (Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah) prior to 1820
File:Flag of Hyderabad 1900-1947.svg, Flag of the Flag of Hyderabadi Emirates 1900-1947
File:Flag of Sharjah.svg, Flag of the Emirate of Kalba (1921–1952)
File:Flag of the Trucial States.svg, Flag of the Trucial States
The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...
Council (1968–1971)
Colors
Construction sheet
Meaning behind the colors
Color shades
Gallery
Flag of each emirate
Each of the seven emirates within the United Arab Emirates belonged to either
Hinawi The Hināwī are one of two major tribal groupings of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Ghāfirī. Characterized as two significant factions having distinct interests and organizations, their rivalry began approximately 2000 years ago ...
or the
Ghafiri The Ghāfirī (also ''Ghafiri'' or ''al-Ghafiriyah'') are one of two major tribal confederations of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Hināwī. Both confederations claim their origin to the Bedouin tribe and the Ghafiri also trace the ...
tribal confederations. Both tribal confederations had a red banner representing the
Hashemite dynasty
The Hashemites ( ar, الهاشميون, al-Hāshimīyūn), also House of Hashim, are the royal family of Jordan, which they have ruled since 1921, and were the royal family of the kingdoms of Hejaz (1916–1925), Syria (1920), and Iraq (19 ...
and allegiance to the prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
. The
Qawasim, although part of the
Ghafiri The Ghāfirī (also ''Ghafiri'' or ''al-Ghafiriyah'') are one of two major tribal confederations of Oman and the Trucial Coast, the other being the Hināwī. Both confederations claim their origin to the Bedouin tribe and the Ghafiri also trace the ...
, 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
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
which compelled them to be under the British Protectorate rule and protection in the region. A white segment was enforced to be added to each emirate's flag. At that time, Fujairah was not recognized as an emirate by the British and hence did not sign the general treaty in 1820 with the British protectorate and therefore continued to use its plain red flag.
On 6 November 1975, Sheikh
Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi
Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi ( ar, سلطان بن محمد القاسمي; born 2 July 1939) is the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and a member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates.
He has ruled Sharjah conti ...
took down the British imposed flag, the White Pierced Red flag, from Sharjah and stated:
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 past time, all of whom have been obliged to salute the flag of the very aggressors who had removed our own flag, a flag that had symbolized the struggle of Al-Qawasim.
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.
Abu Dhabi
![Flag of Abu Dhabi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Flag_of_Abu_Dhabi.svg)
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
Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...
(Abu Dhabi and Dubai).
Although per the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with Britain Abu Dhabi was supposed to fly the Trucial States flag, the White Pierced Red flag, in practice Abu Dhabi continued to fly a plain red flag.
Percy Cox
Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creation of the current Middle East.
...
, the British
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...
administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincing
Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan ( ar, زايد بن خليفة آل نهيان; 1835 – 18 May 1909), also known as Zayed the Great or Zayed the First was the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi from 1855 to his death in 1909. He was the grandfather and nam ...
to adopt the Trucial States flag, which, Zayed argued, represented the Al Qawasim tribal federation. Abu Dhabi later adopted a red flag with a top left white rectangle to distinguish it from the surrounding emirates.
Ajman and Dubai
![Flag of Dubai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Flag_of_Dubai.svg)
The flags of
Ajman
Ajman ( ar, عجمان, '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ʿymān) is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Located along the Persian Gulf, i ...
and
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
are identical. They are both plain red with a white bar at the hoist, i.e. closest to the flag staff.
[Hawley, Donald. "The Trucial States". Twayne Publishers, New York, 1970. pp. 326-7.] 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. 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.
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
Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...
(Abu Dhabi and Dubai)
and a full white flag would be used by Ajman.
The
Shihuh
The Shihuh ( ar, الشحوح, ') is an Arab tribe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In the singular, the name is Al Shehhi, a common family name in the UAE and Oman today. Inhabiting the northern part of the Hajar Mountain rang ...
of
Musandam Peninsula (Ruus Al Jibal) also had a similar flag.
Fujairah
![Flag of the United Arab Emirates](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Flag_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates.svg)
Before 1952, the flag of
Fujairah
Fujairah City ( ar, الفجيرة) is the capital of the emirate of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. It is the seventh-largest city in UAE, located on the Gulf of Oman (part of the Indian Ocean). It is the only Emirati capital city on the ...
was plain red. Fujairah did not sign the general treaty in 1820 with the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
protectorate and therefore is still using its red plain flag.
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 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
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
is now used for official purposes.
Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah
![Flag of Ras al-Khaimah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Flag_of_Sharjah_and_Ras_Al_Khaimah.svg)
The flags of
Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
and
Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital ...
are identical as they are both ruled by two branches of the same house. They show a large red rectangle on a white background. The flag is known as the White Pierced Red and was the intended flag for all the Trucial States according to the 1820 Maritime Treaty of the Trucial States with the British. It was widely attributed to the
Al Qawasim tribal federation.
Percy Cox
Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creation of the current Middle East.
...
, the British
Colonial Office
The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...
administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincing the rest of the emirates' Sheikhs to adopt it. To the British, this flag was titled as
Trucial Coast Flag No. 2.
According to the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British, in times of war the
original Al Qassimi flag (green, white and red flag) would be used by the Qawasim.
Umm Al Quwain
![Flag of Umm al-Qaiwain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Flag_of_Umm_al-Qaiwain.svg)
The flag of
Umm Al Quwain
Umm Al Quwain is the capital and largest city of the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain in the United Arab Emirates.
The city is located on the peninsula of Khor Al Bidiyah, with the nearest major cities being Sharjah to the southwest and Ras Al Khaim ...
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 as a
symbol of Islam and representing allegiance to the
Islamic world.
Umm Al Quwain flag was supposed to be the same flag used by Dubai and Ajman, the White Red Halved, but a star and crescent was added to distinguish it from the surrounding emirates.
See also
*
Emblem of the United Arab Emirates
The emblem of the United Arab Emirates ( ar, شعار الإمارات العربية المتحدة) was officially adopted on 9 December 1973 (2 years after independence in 1971); it was later modified in 2008. It is similar to the coats of arm ...
*
Trucial States
The Trucial States ( '), also known as the Trucial Coast ( '), the Trucial Sheikhdoms ( '), Trucial Arabia or Trucial Oman, was the name the British government gave to a group of tribal confederations in southeastern Arabia whose leaders had s ...
*
Pan Arab Colors
The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four Pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain aspect of the Arabs and their history.
The black represents the Black Standard used by the Rashidun Calip ...
References
External links
* , as hosted by the U.A.E. Ministry of Culture and Youth
* , a website endorsed by the U.A.E. government
Flag of United Arab Emirates – A Brief HistoryUnited Arab Emirates Flag , All The Details Of FlagFirst raising of the flag on 2 December, 1971 (photo)*
Interview of the designer of the UAE flagAnthems 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
{{DEFAULTSORT:United Arab Emirates, Flag of
Flags introduced in 1971
Flag
Flags of Asia
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...