The flag of Kuwait ( ar, علم الكويت) was adopted on September 7, 1961, and officially hoisted November 24, 1961. Before 1961, the flag of

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

was red and white, like those of other

Persian Gulf states The Arab states of the Persian Gulf refers to a group of Arab states which border the Persian Gulf. There are seven member states of the Arab League in the region: Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. ...

at the time, with the field being red and words or charges being written in white. When The Utub settled in

, Kuwaiti ships were flying a flag common on the western coast of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

, a red flag added to it near the mast a serrated white ribbon similar to the current Bahrain flag and was called in the name of the Sulaimi flag. This flag was raised in the rule of Sheikh

Sabah I bin Jaber His Highness Sheikh Abu Salman Sabah I bin Jaber Al Sabah ( ar, أبو سلمان صباح بن جابر الصباح الأول) (c. 1700–1762) was the first ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait. He was chosen by his community for the position of ...

in 1746 to 1871. During the period of Ottoman rule in Kuwait, the Ottoman flag, red with a white crescent and star, was used. This flag was retained after the country became a

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 in the

Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899 The Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899 was a secret treaty signed between the British Empire and the Sheikhdom of Kuwait on 23 January 1899. Under its provisions Britain pledged to protect the territorial integrity of Kuwait in return for restricting ...

. In 1903,

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

, the British

Viceroy and Governor-General of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

visited Kuwait, and Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah received him and raised a red flag With White Words, توكلنا على الله (''We trust in God'') in Arabic writing. The raising of this flag was a smart move, as Kuwait was under British protection and could not raise the Ottoman flag upon visiting British Viceroy in India to Kuwait. Two different flag designs were proposed but not adopted in the period after this. The first proposal in 1906, a red flag with white Western letters spelling (''KOWEIT'') and the second in 1913, the Ottoman flag but the word كويت (''Kuwait'') in Arabic writing as a canton. The Ottoman flag kept being used until the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when friendly-fire incidents with the British in 1914 during the

Mesopotamian campaign The Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, troops from Britain, Australia and the vast majority from British India, against the Central Po ...

around the river Shatt al-Arab occurred due to Kuwait and the enemy Ottomans both using the same flag. Because of this Kuwait adopted a new flag, red with كويت (''Kuwait'') in Arabic writing. This flag was in use until 1921, when Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah added the

Shahada The ''Shahada'' ( Arabic: ٱلشَّهَادَةُ , "the testimony"), also transliterated as ''Shahadah'', is an Islamic oath and creed, and one of the Five Pillars of Islam and part of the Adhan. It reads: "I bear witness that there i ...

to the flag. This version was in use until 1940, when he also added a stylized

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

s claw to the flag. These flags were also depicted on the Emblems of Kuwait. The red flag remained the national flag of Kuwait until the adoption of the current one in September 1961. The present flag is in the

Pan-Arab colours 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 ...

, but each colour is also significant in its own right. The colours' meaning came from a poem by Safie Al-Deen Al-Hali: *White are our deeds *Black are our battles *Green are our lands *Red are our swords Rules of hanging and flying the flag: *Horizontally: The green stripe should be on top. *Vertically: The red stripe should be on the left side of the flag. Kuwait Flag kite launching, 21 July '04

In 2005, it became the design of the world's largest

kite A kite is a tethered heavier-than-air or lighter-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create lift and drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the fac ...

at a size of 1019 square metres. It was made in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Peter Lynn Peter Lynn (born 1946) is a New Zealand kitemaker, engineer and inventor. He is notable for his construction of the world's largest kites (Guinness book of records holders), giant inflatable (sparless) display kites (the most widely known is the ...

, launched to the public for the first time in 2004 in the United Kingdom, officially launched in Kuwait in 2005, and has not been surpassed since.

Construction sheet

Standard of the Emir

The current Emir of Kuwait has a personal royal standard, which is the national flag with a yellow crown on the green stripe. File:Standard of the Emir of Kuwait (1921-1940).svg, Standard of the Emir 1921–1940 File:Standard of the Emir of Kuwait (1940-1956).svg, Standard of the Emir 1940–1956 File:Standard of the Emir of Kuwait 1956-1961.jpg, Standard of the Emir 1956–1961 File:Standard of the Emir of Kuwait.svg, Standard of the Emir 1961–present

Historical flags of Kuwait

File:Flag of Kuwait Al-Sulami 1746-1871.svg, 1746–1871
(

Al-Sulami flag The Al Sulaimi Flag ( ar, العلم السليمي) is an old heritage flag used historically by the Al Bin Ali tribe until the 1960s in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the Eastern province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It consists of four red an ...

) File:Flag of the Ottoman Empire.svg, 1871-1914
(The

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

adopted its flag in 1844) File:Flag of Kuwait (1903).svg, Used between 28-30 November 1903 during the visit of

File:Flag of Kuwait (1906 proposal).svg, 1906 proposal
(not adopted) File:Flag of Kuwait (1909-1915).svg, 1913 proposal
(not adopted) File:Flag of Kuwait (1914-1921).svg, 1914–1921 File:Flag of Kuwait (Battle of Jahra 1920).svg, Battle flag raised during

Battle of Jahra The Battle of Jahra was a battle during the Kuwait–Najd War, fought between Kuwaiti forces and Saudi-supported militants. The battle took place in Al-Jahra, west of Kuwait City on 10 October 1920 around the Kuwait Red Fort. The battle The ba ...

in 1920 File:Flag of Kuwait (1921-1940).svg, 1921–1940 File:Flag of Kuwait (1940-1961).svg, 1940–1961 File:Flag India.svg, Flag of India 1947-1960 File:Maritime Ensign of Kuwait 1956-1961.svg, Maritime Ensign
1956–1961
Only used at sea File:Flag of Kuwait.svg, 1961–present

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuwait, Flag of Flags introduced in 1961 Flags of Asia Flag