 | This article possibly contains original research .(August 2023) |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2023) |
Flags of Arab countries, territories, and organisations usually include the color green, which is a symbol of Islam as well as an emblem of purity, fertility and peace. Common colors in Arab flags are Pan-Arab colors (red, black, white and green); common symbols include stars, crescents and the Shahada .
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1962 to present | Flag of Algeria | Two vertical bands of green and white and the red crescent moon encircling the red five-pointed star in the center within the dividing line. |
 | 2002 to present | Flag of Bahrain | A red field with the white serrated band with five points on the hoist-side. |
 | 2002 to present | Flag of Comoros | Four horizontal bands of yellow, white, red and blue and the green isosceles triangle is based on the hoist-side bearing the white vertical crescent moon with the convex side is facing the hoist and in the center and four small white five-pointed stars are placed vertically in the line in between the points of the crescent. |
 | 1977 to present | Flag of Djibouti | Green and blue Rectangle and one Triangle and one red star. |
 | 1984 to present | Flag of Egypt | Three horizontal bands of red, white and black and the National Coat of Arms in gold in the center of the white band. |
 | 2008 to present | Flag of Iraq | Three horizontal bands of red, white and black and the Takbir is written in the Kufic Script in green in the center of the white band. The written of the Takbir is: "ALLAHU AKBAR" (In Arabic for, "ALLAH IS THE GREATEST"). |
 | 1928 to present | Flag of Jordan | Three horizontal bands of black, white and green and the red isosceles triangle is based on the hoist-side bearing the small white seven-pointed star in the center |
 | 1961 to present | Flag of Kuwait | Three horizontal bands of green, white and red and the black trapezoid is based on the hoist-side. |
 | 1943 to present | Flag of Lebanon | Three horizontal bands of red, white (double-width) and red and the green Cedar Tree in the center of the white band. |
 | 2011 to present | Flag of Libya | Three horizontal stripes of red, black (double-width) and green and the white crescent and the five-pointed star in the center of the black stripe. |
 | 2017 to present | Flag of Mauritania | A green field with the golden five-pointed star and the golden horizontal crescent moon, the closed side is down, in the center in between two red horizontal bands on the top and the bottom edges of the flag. |
 | 1915 to present | Flag of Morocco | A red field with the Seal of Solomon is the green pentagram, a five-pointed linear star, in the center. |
 | 1970 to present | Flag of Oman | Three horizontal bands of white, red and green and the red vertical band is on the hoist-side bearing the National emblem of Oman in white in the center and near the top of the red band. |
 | 1964 to present | Flag of the State of Palestine | A horizontal tricolour of black, white, and green; with a red triangle based at the hoist. |
 | 1971 to present | Flag of Qatar | A maroon field with the white serrated band with nine points on the hoist side. |
 | 1973 to present | Flag of Saudi Arabia | A green field with the Shahada in the Thuluth Script in white and white horizontal saber, with the tip pointing to the hoist-side, in the center. The flag is manufactured with differing obverse and the reverse sides, so that the Shahada reads and the saber points correctly from right to left on both sides. The Shahada is written as "lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muhammadun rasūlu-llāh", Arabic for "There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of God." |
 | 1954 to present | Flag of Somalia | A blue field with a white star in the middle. |
 | 1970 to present | Flag of Sudan | Three horizontal bands of red, white and black and the green isosceles triangle is based on the hoist-side. |
 | 2024 to present | Flag of Syria | Three horizontal bands of green, white and black and three red five-pointed stars that arranged in the horizontal line in the center of the white band. |
 | 1827 to present [1] | Flag of Tunisia | A red field with the large white disk in the center bearing the red crescent moon nearly encircling the red five-pointed star. |
 | 1971 to present | Flag of the United Arab Emirates | Three horizontal bands of green, white and black and the red vertical band is on the hoist-side. |
 | 1990 to present | Flag of Yemen | Three horizontal bands of red, white and black. |
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1917–1920 | Flag of the Arab Revolt | |
 | 1958 | Flag of the Arab Federation | |
 | 1958–1972, 1980–2024 | Flag of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Syrian Arab Republic | |
 | 1972–2002 | Flag of the State of Bahrain | |
 | 1924–1958 | Flag of the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq | |
 | 1963–1991 | Flag of the Iraqi Republic | |
 | 1991–2004 | ||
 | 2004–2008 | Flag of Iraq | |
 | 1932–1934 | Flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | |
 | 1934–1938 | ||
 | 1938–1973 | ||
 | 1948 to 1959 | Flag of the All-Palestine Protectorate | The All-Palestine Government (Arabic: حكومة عموم فلسطين Ḥukūmat ‘Umūm Filasṭīn) was established on 22 September 1948, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, to govern the Egyptian-controlled territory in Gaza, which Egypt had on the same day declared as the All-Palestine Protectorate, Three horizontal bands of green, white and black and the red equilateral triangle is based on the hoist side. |
 | 1956–1970 | Flag of the Republic of Sudan | A horizontal tricolour of blue (representing the Nile), yellow (representing the Sahara), and green (representing farmlands). |
 | 1920 | Flag of the Arab Kingdom of Syria | |
 | 1932–1958, 1961–1963 | Flag of the Mandatory Syrian Republic and Syrian Republic (1946–1963) | |
 | 1963–1972 | Flag of the Syrian Arab Republic | |
 | 1968–1971 | Flag of the Trucial States | |
 | 1918–1923 | Flag of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen | |
 | 1923–1927 | ||
 | 1927–1962 | ||
 | 1962–1990 | Flag of the Yemen Arab Republic | |
 | 1379–1967 | Flag of the Kathiri Sultanate of Hadhramaut | |
 | 1967–1990 | Flag of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen | |
 | 1856–1896 | Flag of the Sultanate of Zanzibar | |
 | 1963–1964 |
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Flag of the Arab League | ||
 | Flag of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf | ||
 | 1947–present | Flag of the Ba'ath Party | Three equal horizontal stripes (black, white, and green from top to bottom) overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the hoist. These are the Pan-Arab colors. |
| Flag | Duration | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1964–present | Flag of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian National Authority | Similar to the flag of the State of Palestine |
A crescent shape is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter, or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.
Since the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, the various republican governments of Iraq have used a number of different flags, all featuring the pan-Arab colors of green, black, white, and red. The current official and internationally recognized flag of Iraq was adopted in 2008 as a temporary compromise, and consists of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black stripes of the Arab Liberation Flag, that was first used by Gamal Abdel Nasser during the Egyptian Revolution, with the takbīr written in green in the Kufic script that was originally added by Saddam Hussein following the Gulf War.
The national flag of Algeria consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red star and crescent, a symbol of Islam as the nation's prominent faith. The flag was adopted on 3 July 1962. A similar version was used by the Algerian government in exile from 1958 to 1962. The Western blazon is per pale vert and argent; a crescent and star gules.
The national flag of Tunisia is a rectangular panel of red color with an aspect ratio of 2:3. In the center of the cloth in a white disk is placed a red crescent, surrounding a red five-pointed star on three sides. The Tunisian Bey Hussein II decided to create a flag for Tunisia, close in appearance to the modern one, after the Battle of Navarino on 20 October 1827; in 1831 he was officially approved. In that form, the flag existed during the French protectorate, and on 1 June 1959, it was proclaimed the state flag of the Republic of Tunisia. On 30 June 1999, the proportions and design of the flag were clarified by a special law. The general appearance of the flag remained virtually unchanged.
The national flag of Egypt is a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Arab Liberation Flag that dates back to the 1952 Egyptian Revolution. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Egyptian eagle of Saladin, centred in the white band.
Since gaining independence from France in 1946, Syria has used a number of different flags, all featuring the pan-Arab colors of green, black, white, and red. Initially a green, white and black triband charged with three red five-pointed stars, known as the Independence flag, was used. In Ba'athist Syria, this was replaced by the flag of the United Arab Republic with red, white and black tribands with either two or three green stars or charged with the national coat of arms. Following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, the independence flag once again began to be used within the country by the Syrian parliament and the Syrian transitional government, and at Syrian embassies abroad.
The flag of the United Arab Emirates contains the Pan-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. The main theme of the flag's four colors is the sovereignty and unity of the Arab states.
The flag of the Arab League comprises a green banner bearing the seal of the Arab League. The twenty-two links in the chain represent the twenty-two members of the League at the time of the flag's adoption. The script gives the name of the organization: "League of Arab States".
The conjoined representation of a crescent and a star is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a symbol of Islam, while other Muslims reject it as an Islamic symbol. It was developed in the Greek colony of Byzantium ca. 300 BC, though it became more widely used as the royal emblem of Pontic king Mithridates VI Eupator after he incorporated Byzantium into his kingdom for a short period. During the 5th century, it was present in coins minted by the Persian Sassanian Empire; the symbol was represented in the coins minted across the empire throughout the Middle East for more than 400 years from the 3rd century until the fall of the Sassanians after the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century. The conquering Muslim rulers kept the symbol in their coinage during the early years of the caliphate, as the coins were exact replicas of the Sassanian coins.
The pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, each of the four pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain aspect of the Arab people and their history.
The coat of arms of Egypt is known as the Republican Eagle, National Emblem of Egypt or Egyptian Golden Eagle, is a heraldic golden eagle, facing the viewer's left (dexter). The eagle's breast is charged with an escutcheon bearing the red-white-black bands of the flag of Egypt rotated vertically, whilst the eagle's talons hold a scroll bearing the official name of the state written in Kufic script. The earliest version of the Eagle of Saladin was that used as the flag of Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt, whilst the modern version of the eagle was adopted during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Subsequently, the modern design of the eagle of Saladin was adopted as the coat of arms of numerous other states in the Arab World, such as the United Arab Republic, North Yemen, Iraq, South Yemen, the Libyan Arab Republic, and Palestine. The current eagle was modified in 1984 to its present form.
The flag of the State of Palestine is a tricolour of three equal horizontal stripes—black, white, and green from top to bottom—overlaid by a red triangle issuing from the hoist. It displays the pan-Arab colours, which were first combined in the current style during the 1916 Arab Revolt, and represents the Palestinian people and the State of Palestine.
Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only one God and that Muhammad is the last messenger of God. It is the world's second-largest religion, with over 2 billion followers (Muslims) comprising nearly a quarter of the world's population.
In British heraldry, vert is the tincture equivalent to green. It is one of the five dark tinctures called colours.
The national flag of Western Sahara or the flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic uses a national flag consisting of a black, white and green horizontal tricolor charged with a red star and crescent in the center stripe and a red chevron at the hoist. It is used on SADR-controlled areas, while the Moroccan flag is used on the occupied parts of Western Sahara.
An Islamic flag is the flag representing an Islamic caliphate, religious order, state, civil society, military force or other entity associated with Islam. Islamic flags have a distinct history due to the Islamic prescription on aniconism, making particular colours, inscriptions or symbols such as crescent-and-star popular choices. Since the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, flags with certain colours were associated with Islam according to the traditions. Since then, historical caliphates, modern nation states, certain denominations as well as religious movements have adopted flags to symbolize their Islamic identity. Some secular states and ethnic or national movements also use symbols of Islamic origin as markers of heritage and identity.
The color green holds many profound and traditional associations within Islam, embodying themes of paradise, purity, and prosperity. In the Quran, green is linked with paradisiacal imagery, symbolizing the serenity of paradise. Green was adopted by the Shi'ites, and remains particularly popular in Shi'ite iconography, but it is also widely used in by Sunni states, notably in the flag of Saudi Arabia and the flag of Pakistan. Green's subsequent incorporation into national flags highlights the enduring significance in Islamic iconography.
The flag of the Arab Revolt, also used as the flag of Hejaz, was a flag used by Hussein bin Ali and his allies, the Arab nationalists, during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and as the first flag of the Kingdom of Hejaz. It was designed by Mark Sykes, but is highly reminiscent of previous Arab flags, such as the flags of the al-Muntada al-Adabi, al-ʽAhd and al-Fatat.
Flag families are sets of national and other flags with similarities in their design, often based on a shared history, culture, or influence. Families do not include flags with coincidental similarities. Flags may be in multiple flag families. Only twelve current national flags existed before the 19th century, when large-scale flag use began. Seven of these flags are the inspiration for more than 130 current national flags and ensigns.
The Arab Liberation Flag is a pan-Arab tricolor flag originally designed and adopted by the Egyptian Free Officers movement following the 1952 Egyptian revolution. The tricolor flag consists of horizontal stripes in red, white, and black. The Arab Liberation Flag became a symbol of Arab nationalism, republicanism, and Nasserism, as well as the basis for numerous flags in the Arab world. Today, its variations are used as the national flags of Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan, and were formerly used by Syria and Libya.
This article contains quotations from the CIA World Factbook, which is in the public domain.