The flag and the coat of arms of Terengganu are

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

symbols of

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', Jawi: ), formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu, is a sultanate and constitutive state of federal Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l- Īmān'' ("Abode of Faith" ...

, a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. Like the majority of state symbols for states with Malay royalties, the flag and the arms of Terengganu centre on its royalty, as well as Islam, the state's traditional religion.

Flag

Design

First revealed in 1953, the present flag of Terengganu encompasses a black flag with a thick, white

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

and a white star and crescent in the centre that points towards the fly. The width of the crescent is five-sixths the width of the black panel, while the width of the star, which is tilting clockwise, is two-thirds that of the crescent. The white signifies the Sultan of Terengganu, while the black signifies the state's citizens; with the white border surrounding the black panel, the layout represents the Sultan's duty to protect his subjects. The star and crescent denote Islam as the official religion of the state. In October 2006, then- ''Menteri Besar'' of Terengganu

Idris Jusoh Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Haji Idris bin Jusoh ( Jawi: إدريس بن جوسوه; born 15 November 1955) is a Malaysian politician who has served as Chairman of the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) since May 2020. He served as the Mini ...

voiced intentions by the state government to " rightenup" the flag and incorporate an emblem by first seeking opinions from professions, citing feedback of the flag being too "simple and dull". As of 2008, there have been no reports of further action.

Variants

District flags

Terengganu has eight

administrative districts Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

('' daerah''), each assigned their own district-level flags. All eight of the flags consist of only a single coloured

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

with the state flag on the canton; the only distinction is the colour of the field, which corresponds to respectable districts and represents their qualities:

Royal Standards

Terengganu's royalty, mostly prominently the Sultan of Terengganu, fly their own

Royal Standard In heraldry and vexillology, a heraldic flag is a flag containing coats of arms, heraldic badges, or other devices used for personal identification. Heraldic flags include banners, standards, pennons and their variants, gonfalons, guidons, and ...

s. The Sultan's Royal Standard is known as ''Tanah Putih'' and consists of a white flag bearing a partial rendition of the state emblem, as well as a wreath of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

stalks and a

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

. Previously a plain white flag, the additional emblem, which is coloured yellow, was added to identify the flag to Terengganu's royal family. The design of the ''Pemaisuri''s (Queen's) Royal Standard (which is given the name ''Tanah Kuning Tua'') is very similar to that of the Sultan's, but features a reversed arrangement of colours, with a white emblem against a yellow field. The Royal Standard of the ''Yang Di-pertuan Muda'' (Crown Prince) bears a similar colour configuration as the Queen's, but features only the partial rendition of the state emblem, which is significantly larger than that of the Sultan's and the Queen's. The Royal Standard for the Crown Prince is named as ''Tanah Kuning Muda''.

Obsolete flags

Prior to the adoption of the present flag, the state flag of Terengganu previously sported a significantly different design, although many of its elements would be carried over to its successor. The earliest known variant of the state flag was used between 1925 and 1933, and consisted of only a white-black flag divided vertically with the black stripe two times wider than the white stripe. Flag of Terengganu (1912 - 1933)

In 1933, a star and crescent that pointed upwards and featured rounder crescent was added on the black band, signifying Terengganu's recognition of Islam as the state's religion. The flag remained in use until the introduction of the current flag. Flag of Terengganu (1933 - 1947)

Additionally, the state government of Terengganu formerly flew its own "Governmental Service Flag", which design originated in the same manner as the state flag. Bearing the same vertical white-black layout, a white

saltire A saltire, also called Saint Andrew's Cross or the crux decussata, is a heraldic symbol in the form of a diagonal cross, like the shape of the letter X in Roman type. The word comes from the Middle French ''sautoir'', Medieval Latin ''saltatori ...

was also included on the black stripe. Similarly, a star and crescent was also added in a later date, but was placed on the white stripe. The flag was rendered obsolete following the adoption of the present state flag, which was also to be used by the state government.

State Emblem

Design

Approved for official use by the State Ministers Committee in 1932, the state arms or emblem (Malay: ''Jata'') of Terengganu was designed by several state officials during the reign of

Sultan Zainal Abidin III Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

(1881–1918), and is thought to have been drawn by Mohamad bin Abdul Rahim, the relative of Dato' Nara Wangsa (Dato' Mata-Mata). The arms originally consisted of a white outlined oval that encompassed a series of symbols coloured in yellow and a Jawi

. During the rule of

Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Zainal Abidin III Mu’azzam Shah ( Jawi: ; 27 January 1907 – 20 September 1979) was the fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and the sixteenth Sultan of Terengganu. Early career ...

(1945–1979), the emblem was modified with the addition of a dotted figure of a

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

around all of the symbols except the star and crescent, which resides over the seal, the addition of a pair of maces and the shortening of the motto. Details of the emblem's components are as follows: ;Star and crescent :The star and crescent reside atop the seal, pointing upwards. As a symbol of the

Islamic faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people oft ...

, they represent Terengganu as an Islamic state. ;Seal :The seal consists of a near-oval, shield-like dotted outline that encompasses virtually all symbols in the emblem with the exception of the star and crescent, including: :* A

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

, located near the top, which represents the sovereignty of the Sultan of Terengganu; :* a sword, a long '' kris'' and a pair of ceremonial maces (The sword and ''kris'' crisscrosses each other to the top, while the maces crisscrosses each other lower down), which symbolise the royal paraphernalia of Terengganu; :* two books, located on opposing sides of the seal below the upper half of a mace and the lower half of the sword or ''kris'', represent two important books in Terengganu: The Book of Law—placed on the left—denoting justice and the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

—placed on the right—denoting the Law; and :* a

scarf A scarf, plural ''scarves'', is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of differ ...

(''wali'' or ''selampai''), which wraps around the sword or ''kris'' and over the maces, signify a portion of the state's cultural regalia. ;Motto The

, "Terengganu" written in Jawi (ترڠڬانو), is located below the seal. When introduced in 1932, the emblem's motto originally read "''Jawatan Kerajaan Terengganu''" (Terengganu Government Post) in Jawi (جاوتن کراجا^ءن ترڠݢانو). During the rule of

, "''Jawatan Kerajaan''" was omitted from the motto, resulting in its present form.

Royal Standard variants

The state emblem of Terengganu is included on the Royal Standards of Terengganu's royal family, but differs slightly, as it is only duplicated partially, without the outlining oval border and seal, the "Terengganu"

and the star and crescent. Two elements are added on the emblem in the case of the Royal Standards for the Sultan and the Queen: a

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle . In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...

stalks and a different motto depicted in the form of banner to be written in Jawi. The motto corresponds to the individual the Standard is assigned to; as such, the motto for the Standard of the Sultan reads "''Sultan Terengganu''" while that of the Queen reads "''Pemaisuri Terengganu''". The emblem on the Royal Standard of the Crown Prince consists of only the partial replication of the state emblem. As the Standard of the Sultan has a white field, the emblem retains its yellow colour. However, as the Standard of the Queen and the Crown Prince bare yellow fields, their emblems are white.

References

{{Heraldry in Malaysia Terengganu

1953 establishments in Malaya