Saudi Arabia, flag of

Saudi Arabia, flag of

▪ Flag History

      national flag consisting of a green field (background) bearing, in white, an Arabic inscription and a sabre. The flag has a width-to-length ratio of 2 to 3.

      When Muhammad began his proselytizing on behalf of Islam, there were no national flags in the modern sense, but in later years various flags associated with Muslim military campaigns became the basis for Arab flags. Their religious inscriptions were popular with most Arab governments because representational art was forbidden by the Muslim faith, and calligraphy had thus become a highly developed artistic form. The colour green was linked with Fāṭimah, the Prophet's daughter, and was chosen by the Wahhābī, a strict religious sect, when in the late 18th century they began their campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula.

      In the early 20th century the basic flag flown today was already being used by Wahhābī armies. The shahāda (shahādah) (Muslim profession of faith) was inscribed in Arabic script on the green field of their banners. This statement translates as “There is no god but God; Muhammad is the prophet of God.” A sabre, symbolic of the militancy of their faith, was sometimes added to the design.

      The successes on the battlefield of King Ibn Saʿūd led to the establishment of Wahhābī-dominated governments in Najd and Al-Ḥasā. After World War I the Kingdom of the Hejaz with its holy cities, Mecca and Medina, was captured, followed by Asir. In 1932, its unification complete, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed and its flag made official. The early version had the script filling most of the green field, and the sabre was curved. On March 15, 1973, however, a new design was adopted by royal decree, with a smaller inscription and a straight-bladed sabre. The Saudi flag must always be represented so that the inscription reads correctly on both sides. Also, owing to its religious symbolism, the flag is never to be flown vertically or at half-mast. Although other national flags have small inscriptions, the Saudi flag is the only one currently featuring writing as its central symbolic design.

Whitney Smith
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Saudi Arabia — a kingdom in N and central Arabia, including Hejaz, Nejd, and dependencies. 20,087,965; ab. 600,000 sq. mi. (1,554,000 sq. km). Cap.: Riyadh. Cf. Mecca. * * * Saudi Arabia Introduction Saudi Arabia Background: In 1902 Abd al Aziz Ibn SAUD… …   Universalium

  • Saudi Arabia — <p></p> <p></p> Introduction ::Saudi Arabia <p></p> Background: <p></p> Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam s two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king s official title …   The World Factbook

  • Flag of Saudi Arabia — The flag of Saudi Arabia is the flag used by the government of Saudi Arabia since March 15, 1973. It is a green flag featuring in white an Arabic inscription and a sword. The script on the flag is written in the Thuluth script. It is the shahadah …   Wikipedia

  • Saudi Arabia national cricket team — Infobox non test cricket team country name = Saudi Arabia image caption = Flag of Saudi Arabia icc member year = 2003 icc status = Affiliate member icc region = Asia current captain = Nadeem Babar WCL division = n/a regional tournament = ACC… …   Wikipedia

  • Outline of Saudi Arabia — …   Wikipedia

  • Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabian Armed Forces Service branches Royal Saudi Air Force Royal Saudi Land Forces Royal Saudi Navy …   Wikipedia

  • Legal system of Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Saudi Arabia …   Wikipedia

  • Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Saudi Arabia) — Saudi Arabia This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Saudi Arabia …   Wikipedia

  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Saudi Arabia) — Saudi Arabia Ministry of Foreign Affairs Agency overview Formed 1930 Preceding agency Directorate General for F …   Wikipedia

  • Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia — Saudi Consultative Assembly مجلس الشورى السعودي Majlis al Shūra al Saʿūdiyy Type Type Unicameral Leadership Speaker …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”