A horizontaltricolour of green, white and black with a vertical quarter width red bar at the hoist
Designed by
Abdulla Mohammed Al Maainah
Thenational flag of theUnited Arab Emirates[a] contains thepan-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 alternativecivil ensign, a red flag with the national flag in thecanton. The airlineEmirates 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 ofFujairah, all also emirates have separate flags (though some emirates share the same flag).
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.The airlineEmirates includes the UAE flag in its aircraft livery.
The red stripe represents energy and the sacrifices made by the people for their nation, the green stands for growth and prosperity, the black stands for dignity, and the white stripe represents peace and purity.[3]
Each of the seven emirates within the United Arab Emirates belonged to either theHinawi orGhafiri tribal confederations; both had a red banner representing theHashemite dynasty and allegiance to the prophetMuhammad. TheQawasim, although part of theGhafiri, had their own flag (a green, white, and red banner) which used to distinguish them as a maritime power. In 1820, after theBritish Empire campaign on Ras Al Khaimah, six out of the seven emirates signed theGeneral Maritime Treaty with theBritish 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.[6]
On 6 November 1975, SheikhSultan 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.[7]
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.[7]
Theflag ofAbu 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 theBani Yas (Abu Dhabi and Dubai).[8]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 BritishColonial Office administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincingZayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan to adopt the Trucial States flag, which, Zayed argued, represented the Al Qawasim tribal federation.[9] Abu Dhabi later adopted a red flag with a top left white rectangle to distinguish it from the surrounding emirates.
Flag of Ajman Flag of DubaiAjman flags painted at theAjman Museum.
Theflags ofAjman andDubai are identical. They are both plain red with a white bar at the hoist, i.e. closest to the flag staff.[10] The flag is known as theWhite 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 theAl Qawasim in defiance of the bonds of the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British.[11] 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.[12] According to the treaty, in times of war a full red flag would be used by theBani Yas (Abu Dhabi and Dubai)[8] and a full white flag by Ajman.[13]
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, theflag ofFujairah was plain red. Fujairah did not sign the general treaty in 1820 with theBritish and therefore continued using its red plain flag.[6] 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 theUnited Arab Emirates is now used for official purposes.
Flag of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah (Al Qawasim) after signing the 1820 General Maritime Treaty with the British EmpireFlag of Sharjah depicted on aSharjah stamp of 1963.
Theflags ofRas Al KhaimahandSharjah 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 theWhite 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 theAl Qawasim tribal federation.Percy Cox, the BritishColonial Office administrator in the Middle East, was unsuccessful in convincing the rest of the emirates' Sheikhs to adopt it.[15] To the British, this flag was titled asTrucial Coast Flag No. 2.[12] According to the treaty, in times of war theoriginal Al Qassimi flag (green, white and red flag) was to be used by the Qawasim.[16]
Theflag ofUmm Al Quwain consists of a red background, a white bar at the hoist similar the flags of Ajman and Dubai, and a large whitestar and crescent in the center, asymbol of Islam representing allegiance to theIslamic world.[10] 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.[12]
^abAl Qassimi, Sultan bin Mohammad (2012).Taking the Reins: The Critical Years, 1971-1977. London: A & C Black Business Information and Development. p. 5.ISBN9781408181171.
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