Flags of Countries in Middle East

Bahrain

The red color is typical of the countries on the Arabian Gulf. Many countries in the Arab world have used a red color as their flag. However, the pirate ships also used red flags. In order not to be considered a pirate, Bahrain then added the color white to the flag. The points stand for the five different faiths of Islam.

Iraq

The flag of Iraq is striped in red, white, and black. In the white field is written “Allāhu akbar” in green Arabic letters, which means “God is greatest” in German. The red stripe stands for the revolution, the white for the future of Iraq and the black stripe for the past.

Iran

On the Iranian flag you can see three stripes in the colors green, white and red from top to bottom. Green stands for the religion of Islam, white for peace and friendship and red is the color of the war and at the same time all of the blood that was consumed during the Wars was shed. In the middle is a sign that stands for Iran and that translates as God, in Arabic that means Allah.

Israel

The flag of Israel shows the blue Star of David in the middle, which is surrounded by two blue stripes horizontally. It was designed as early as 1897, but it was only used after Israel was founded in 1948. She found her role model in the Jewish prayer shawl called Tallit . Blue and white are important symbolic colors for clothing in Judaism.

Yemen

The Pan-Arab colors adorn the flag of Yemen. After the reunification of the country in 1990, it was decided to use this common flag, which should not bear any additional symbols.

Jordan

The Jordanian flag is made up of the colors black, red, white and green. These colors represent the unity of all Arabs. This is also called pan-Arabism. The rays of the star on the red triangle represent the seven verses at the beginning of the Koran.

Qatar

Originally, the flag of Qatar was similar to the flag of Bahrain and was red and white. Even earlier the flag was completely red. The red color turned to brown as the real flags faded over time. In contrast to the flag of Bahrain, the flag of Qatar has nine points. It is the thinnest of all national flags.

Kuwait

The flag of Kuwait also bears the pan-Arab colors to show the commonality with the other Arab states. The color green stands for Islam, white stands for energy, red for courage and the color black is a reminder of the defeat of the enemy.

Lebanon

Lebanon is famous for its cedar trees. Even though there are unfortunately not that many cedars left in the country today, this old tree adorns the country’s flag. By the way, it has been doing this for more than 2000 years. The colors white and red are the colors of the Ottoman Empire , today you can also find them in the Turkish flag. Red stands for the blood that was shed for the struggle for freedom and the color white for peace. Green is the color of immortality.

Oman

The flag of Oman consists of a vertical red stripe on the left and three horizontal stripes in white, red and green. In the upper left corner is the national coat of arms, a khanjar (curved dagger), in front of two crossed swords. A belt holds the weapons together. Red is the flag color of the states that lie on the Persian Gulf, white stands for peace and prosperity and green for the fertility of the northern mountains.

Saudi Arabia

Green is the color of Islam. The characters in the middle are Arabic and mean: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”.

Syria

The flag of Syria includes the Arabic colors. Black stands for the colonial era, red for the revolution and white for a future in peace. The stars symbolize unity and green stands for Islam.

United Arab Emirates

The red ribbon on the left is intended to commemorate the historic flags of the Emirates, which were red. Green stands for the fertility of the land and white for the neutral attitude, black for the wealth of oil. These colors also correspond to the pan-Arab colors found on many flags of Arab countries.

Turkey

The story behind the Turkish national flag is quite dramatic. It is said that one evening at dusk, an Ottoman sultan rode along a river after winning a battle. This river suddenly turned red from the blood of the defeated enemies. Because it was getting dark, the moon and stars are said to have been reflected in the blood-red water. So it says the legend. What is certain is that the flag was already in use during the Ottoman Empire . The colors and symbols were later taken up again. The crescent moon and the five-pointed star are symbols of Islam , which plays an important role in Turkey and the Ottoman Empire.