Pan-Arab colors
The Pan-Arab colours are black, white, green, and red. Individually, each of the four Pan-Arab colours were intended to represent a certain Arab dynasty, or era.[3] The black was the colour of the banner of Muhammad and the Rashidun Caliphate and was later adopted by the Abbasid Caliphate; white was used by the Umayyad Caliphate; green was used by the Fatimid Caliphate; and red was both the flag held by the Khawarij and also represented the Hashemites.[4] The four colours derived their potency from a verse by 14th century Iraqi poet Safi Al-Din Al-Hilli: "White are our acts, black our battles, green our fields, and red our swords".[5]
Pan-Arab colours were first combined in 1916 in the flag of the Arab Revolt.[6] Many current flags are based on Arab Revolt colours, such as the flags of Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and the United Arab Emirates,[7] and formerly in the flag of the brief six month union of the Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan.
It may be noted that while Libya is an Arab country and has a flag with the same four colours, the colours have a different origin in this flag and are therefore not considered pan-Arab colours.
From the 1950s onwards, a sub-set of the Pan-Arab colours, the Arab Liberation colours, came to prominence. These consist of a tricolour of red, white and black bands, with green given less prominence. The Arab Liberation colours were inspired by the use of the Arab Liberation Flag in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.[8] These appear in the current flags of Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and formerly in the flags of the rival states of North Yemen and South Yemen, and in the short-lived Arab unions of the United Arab Republic and the Federation of Arab Republics.[7]
Current flags with Pan-Arab colours
UN member and observer states
Unrecognized and partially recognized states
Former national flags with the Pan-Arab colours
.svg.png)
Emirate of Jabal Shammar (1920–21)[13].svg.png)
Hejaz (as part of the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz, 1926–32)
.svg.png)
Syria (1932–58 and 1961–63),[12] used currently (2011 onwards) by the Syrian Interim Government and the Free Syrian Army.svg.png)
United Arab Republic (1958–61), Egypt (1961–72).svg.png)
Iraq (1959–63)
North Yemen (1962–90)%3B_Flag_of_Syria_(1963-1972).svg.png)
South Yemen (1967–90), used currently (2007 onwards) by the South Yemen Movement.svg.png)
Libya (1969–72).svg.png)
Mahra Sultanate (unknown-1967).svg.png)
Arab Islamic Republic (proposed 1974, never implemented).svg.png)
.svg.png)
Iraq (2004–08)[18]
Flags of Arab political and paramilitary movements using Pan-Arab colours
Flag of Ottoman era Istanbul-based autonomist "Arab Literature Club" (1909–15), a precursor Arab flag[19]
Flag of the Ba'ath Party (1947–present), also used by the National Democratic Front for the Liberation of Oman and the Arabian Gulf (active 1969–71)
Flag of the National Liberation Front of Yemen (1963–78), the Dhofar Liberation Front (1965–68), and the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arabian Gulf (1968–74)
Flag of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (1974–92)
Flag of Liberation Front of Hadhramaut (1967–69)
Flag used by the separatist organisations the National Council of Ahwaz and the National Liberation Movement of Ahwaz in Khuzestan, Iran[21][22]
Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad (2012–present)
Historical Arab flags
Black flag, used by Muhammad (570–632), Rashidun Caliphate (632–661) and Abbasids (750–1258)[23][24]
See also
References
- 1 2 Pan-Arab Colours, crwflags.com
- ↑ Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, The Great Arab Revolt, passia.org
- ↑ Abū Khaldūn Sati' al-Husri, The days of Maysalūn: A Page from the Modern History of the Arabs, Sidney Glauser Trans., (Washington D.C.: Middle East Institute, 1966), 46.
- ↑ Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, Palestine Facts: The Meaning of the Flag, passia.org
- ↑ Muhsin Al-Musawi, Reading Iraq: Culture and Power in Conflict (I. B. Tauris 2006), p. 63
- ↑ I. Friedman, British Pan-Arab Policy, 1915–1922, Transaction Publ., 2011, p.135
- 1 2 Znamierowski, Alfred (2003). Illustrated Book of Flags. Southwater. p. 123. ISBN 1842158813. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
The designs of these flags were later modified, but the four pan-Arab colours were retained and were adopted by Transjordan (1921), Palestine (1922), Kuwait (1961), the United Arab Emirates (1971), Western Sahara (1976) and Somaliland (1996).
- ↑ M. Naguib Egypt's Destiny 1955
- ↑ "Palestinian Law No. 5 for the year 2006 amending some provisions of Law No. 22 for the year 2005 on the Sanctity of the Palestinian Flag". Muqtafi.birzeit.edu. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Also used as the flag of Fujairah since 1975
- 1 2 Kingdom of Hejaz 1915-1925, Crwflags.com
- 1 2 3 4 5 Historical Flags Overview (Syria), Crwflags.com
- ↑ Ha'il (Saudi Arabia) - Emirate of 'Ha'il, Crwflags.com
- 1 2 Historical Flags (Jordan), Crwflags.com
- ↑ Kingdom of Iraq (1924-1958), Crwflags.com
- 1 2 Historical Flags (Palestine) , Crwflags.com
- ↑ Arab Federation of Jordan and Iraq, Crwflags.com
- 1 2 3 Evolution of the Iraqi Flag, 1963-2008, Crwflags.com
- ↑ Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, Al-Muntadha al-Adhabi, passia.org
- ↑ Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, Jam'yiat al-'Arabiya al-Fatat, passia.org
- 1 2 Al-Ahwaz (Khuzestan) Political Organizations (Iran) on crwflags.com
- ↑ S. T. Al-Seyed Naama, Brief History of Ahwaz, on al-ahwaz.com
- ↑ "Evolution of the Arab Flag, by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi-Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs". Passia.org. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "Evolution of the Arab Flag, by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi". Passia.org. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "Evolution of the Arab Flag, by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi". Passia.org. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ "Evolution of the Arab Flag, by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi". Passia.org. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ↑ Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, Al-Khawarij, passia.org
External links
- Pan-Arab colors
- Evolution of the Arab Flag, by Dr. Mahdi Abdul-Hadi (in Arabic)