16 Middle Eastern Flags (& What They Symbolize)

PDF download Download Article
Flag expert Austin Krance discusses the colors and histories of some Pan-Arab flags
PDF download Download Article

Flags have some fascinating histories, and none more so than the flags flown by Middle Eastern countries like Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and more. If you’re fascinated by the flags of the Middle East (or just want to learn more about them), you’ve come to the right place! With the help of global flag experts Austin Krance and Thanos Sekeris, we’ll tell you everything there is to know about the histories, meanings, symbolisms, and designs of Middle Eastern flags.

Note: Some countries in Asia and Africa—like Azerbaijan and Comoros—are not technically geographically part of the Middle East but are often grouped with these countries due to cultural and historical ties. For the purposes of this article, however, we’ve only included countries that are geographically within the Middle East.

Middle Eastern Country Flags: At a Glance

An illustration showing all of the flags that belong to Middle Eastern countries.

Flag expert Austin Krance explains that many Middle East flags include a combo of green, white, red, and/or black—e.g, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the UAE, and Yemen. But other Middle Eastern countries, like Cyprus and Israel, use other colors.

1

Bahrain

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of Bahrain is mostly red with a white serrated band on the left-hand side. This serrated band includes five white triangles that point into the flag’s red field. These five white triangles represent the five pillars of Islam, while their white color symbolizes hope and purity. The red on the flag, meanwhile, is said to symbolize strength, courage, and the blood shed by those who’ve fought on Bahrain’s behalf. Red is also a traditional color used in the flags of Persian Gulf states.[1]
    • Year of Adoption: 2002 (most recent re-design)
    • Color Palette: Red, white.
    • Did you know? Bahrain’s flag was originally completely red, but the white stripe was added in the 1820s to commemorate a truce with the United Kingdom. The triangles were added to the stripe even later.

    Meet the wikiHow Experts

    Austin Krance is a global geography and flag expert who specializes in creating viral short-form content, with a focus on trivia, geography, and user interaction.

    Thanos Sekeris is a global flag expert who first started creating as the FlagFluencer online in 2024, sharing his passion and knowledge of flags.

    2. Advertisement
2

Cyprus

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of Cyprus depicts a copper-colored silhouette of the island nation. Below the island, there are two green olive branches. All of these symbols are laid onto a plain white background. The design of the flag, particularly the white color and the inclusion of olive branches, is intentionally neutral and peaceful in order to represent hopes for peace between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The copper color chosen for the island outline reflects Cyprus’ rich copper deposits (which also gave the country its name).[2]
    • Year of Adoption: 1960, with slight modifications made in 2006.
    • Color Palette: White, copper, green.
    • Did you know? When used in flag symbolism, the color white usually represents “peace or purity,” explains Sekeris.[3] Fittingly, the designer of Cyprus’ flag chose the color white in order to encourage peace.
3

Iran

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Iranian flag is a horizontal tricolor with three bands: red on the bottom, white in the center, and green on the top. In the center of the flag, you’ll find the country’s national emblem, which depicts a tulip in order to commemorate those who have died for Iran. Along the inside edges of the green and red strips, the phrase “Allahu Akbar” (“God Is Greatest”) is repeated 22 times in white Kufic script. The green, white, and red colors on this flag are meant to symbolize, respectively, Islam and the country’s beauty, peace and honesty, and courage and bloodshed.[4]
    • Year of Adoption: 1980
    • Color Palette: Green, white, red.
    • Did you know? The modern Iranian flag was created to symbolize the new Islamic Republic that was established after the 1979 revolution. Prior to the revolution, Iran’s flag depicted a lion and the sun instead of the tulip symbol.
    2. Advertisement
4

Iraq

PDF download Download Article
  1. Iraq’s current flag features three equal horizontal bands with red on top, white in the middle, and black on the bottom. In the center white stripe, the phrase “Allahu Akbar” (“God Is Greatest”) is written in green in Arabic script.[5] The red, white, and black colors are Pan-Arab colors shared by many flags in this region.[6] Red is meant to represent the willingness to shed blood for freedom, black is meant to represent a history of battles and war, and white is meant to represent purity.[7]
    • Year of Adoption: 2008 (most recent redesign)
    • Color Palette: Black, white, red, green.
    • Did you know? Iraq’s flag has changed many times, and it used to have “three [green] stars in the middle,” says Krance. “Then, when Saddam Hussein was in power, he added…the Arabic script. But after the U.S. invasion and the Iraqi revolution, they removed the stars and kept the [script] to mark a new era in Iraq.”[8]
5

Israel

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Israeli flag features two horizontal blue stripes—one on the top and one on the bottom of the flag. In the center of the flag, there is a blue Star of David, and the flag’s background is white. This design was inspired by the Jewish prayer shawl (or the tallit). The blue color on the tallit (and now the flag) is said to serve as a reminder for Jews to observe God’s commandments, and it's also connected to God’s glory and holiness. The white color, meanwhile, is meant to symbolize honesty, innocence, and peace.[9]
    • Year of Adoption: 1948
    • Color Palette: Blue, white.
    • Did you know? The modern Israeli flag was originally created for the Zionist movement in 1891. The flag was first waved in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland.
    2. Advertisement
6

Jordan

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of Jordan depicts three horizontal stripes of (from top to bottom) black, white, and green. On the left side of the flag, there’s a large red triangle that points to the right-hand side. Inside the red triangle, there’s a white, seven-pointed star. In accordance with the Pan-Arab color palette, the colors used on the flag are said to represent the Abbasid (black), Umayyad (white), Fatimid (green), and Hashemite (red) dynasties. The seven-pointed star is meant to symbolize the unity of the Arab people while also representing the seven verses of Al-Fatiha, which is the first chapter of the Quran.[10]
    • Year of Adoption: 1928
    • Color Palette: Black, white, green, red.
    • Did you know? The Jordanian flag’s design is inspired by the flag of the Arab Revolt of 1916. The flag of the Arab Revolt had no star, and the white and green stripes were reversed in order.
7

Kuwait

PDF download Download Article
  1. Kuwait’s flag has three horizontal stripes of green (top), white (middle), and red (bottom). On the left side of the flag, there’s a black trapezoid with the long side sitting along the flag’s leftmost edge. The flag uses Pan-Arab colors, which specifically represent fertile lands (green), purity of deeds (white), the defeat of enemies in battle (black), and the blood on the swords of Arab warriors (red).[11] These meanings come from a 13th-century poem written by Safie Al-Deen Al-Hili.[12]
    • Year of Adoption: 1961
    • Color Palette: Red, white, green, black.
    • Did you know? Kuwait isn’t the only flag that uses green to represent fertile lands—according to Sekeris, the use of “green on a flag generally tends to indicate something about the [country’s] nature. However, in [many] Islamic countries, it may also represent something related to Islam.”[13]
    2. Advertisement
8

Lebanon

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Lebanese flag features a large horizontal white stripe in the center, with two narrower horizontal red stripes on the top and bottom. The white stripe’s height is twice the height of each of the red stripes. In the center of the flag, there’s a green Lebanese cedar tree, which is said to represent immortality and steadfastness. The red and white colors, meanwhile, represent the blood shed for independence (red), and peace and snowcapped mountains (white).[14]
    • Year of Adoption: 1943
    • Color Palette: Red, green, white
    • Did you know? The Lebanese flag was intentionally designed to be a neutral symbol that does not represent any single religious group.
    • Click to read about other red, white, and green flags!
9

Oman

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of Oman has a red vertical stripe on the left-hand side. The rest of the flag is covered by three equal horizontal stripes of white (top), red (middle), and green (bottom). In the top left corner of the flag, there is a white emblem that depicts a curved dagger (or khanjar) over two crossed swords. This emblem has been in use as Oman’s national symbol since the 18th century.[15]
    • Year of Adoption: 1995
    • Color Palette: Red, green, white.
    • Did you know? The red on Oman’s flag is said to represent the battles fought against foreign invaders in order to preserve Oman’s freedom. This is actually a very common symbolism for the color red on flags, according to Sekeris, who notes that “red, in a high percentage of countries, has to do with some sort of revolution or war where many people lost their lives fighting for that country’s freedom.”[16]
    2. Advertisement
10

Palestine

PDF download Download Article
  1. The Palestinian flag’s color palette of green, white, red, and black is shared by many Pan-Arab flags, says Krance.[17] Palestine’s flag design, in particular, features a horizontal triband of three equal stripes of black, white, and green. On the left side of the flag, there is a red triangle pointing toward the right side of the flag.[18] This design is almost identical to the flag of the 1916 Arab Revolt, and it's similar in look to the flags of other Arab nations, such as Jordan.[19]
    • Year of Adoption: 1964 (official adoption by the Palestine Liberation Organization). 1988 (official adoption as the flag of the State of Palestine).
    • Color Palette: Red, black, white, green.
    • Did you know? In 1929, it was proposed that the Palestinian flag would include orange in order to represent the Yafa or Jaffa orange, which was popular in the region. However, as you can see, that proposal was never officially accepted!
    • Click to read about other red, green, and black flags!
11

Qatar

PDF download Download Article
  1. Qatar has a unique flag color and design. The flag is mostly maroon, but it has a white stripe on the left side with nine white triangles separating the two colors. The maroon color symbolizes the blood shed in past wars, while the white color represents peace. The nine triangles or serrated points are meant to signify Qatar’s position as the ninth emirate of Trucial Oman (or the Trucial States).[20]
    • Year of Adoption: 1971
    • Color Palette: Maroon, white.
    • Did you know? Qatar’s flag has an 11:28 aspect ratio, making it the only national flag whose width is more than twice its height.
    2. Advertisement
12

Saudi Arabia

PDF download Download Article
  1. Saudi Arabia’s flag has a green background with the shahada in the center.[21] The shahada, which is depicted in white on the flag, is the Islamic declaration of faith. It reads, “There is no deity but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Underneath the shahada, there is a white sword that symbolizes Saudi Arabia’s military strength, security, and strict adherence to its values. It’s also said that the sword represents the royal House of Saud and the strength that was used to unify earlier tribes.[22]
    • Year of Adoption: 1973 (most recent re-design)
    • Color Palette: Green, white.
    • Did you know? The shahada must always be raised, so the Saudi flag can never be flown at half-mast. It can also never be lowered onto the ground or into unclean places.
13

Syria

PDF download Download Article
  1. As of 2025, Syria has a new official flag with a green-white-black horizontal tricolor design and three red stars. This new flag was officially adopted by the newly formed Syrian government in March 2025, following the fall of the previous government. It’s actually a repurposing of a flag that was used in the early 20th century as a symbol of Syrian opposition during the country’s civil war. The previous flag, however, was adopted in 1980 and is still widely recognizable as the Syrian flag, due to the newness of the new government’s flag. The previous flag had a red-white-black color pattern with two green stars.[23]
    • Year of Adoption: 2025
    • Color Palette: Green, white, black, red.
    • Did you know? The third star was added to the new flag after the revolution, explains Krance, because “instead of being the Second Republic…they’re now the Third Republic.”[24]
    2. Advertisement
14

Turkey

PDF download Download Article
  1. Turkey’s flag features a red background that’s overlaid with a white crescent moon and a white five-pointed star. According to legend, the red field represents the blood of martyrs from the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, and the moon and the star were seen as reflections in the spilled blood. However, while the moon and the star are important symbols in Islam, they’re also significant in pre-Islamic Byzantine and Turkish cultures, so it’s possible that the design originates from those ancient eras. Others see the crescent as a symbol of hope and the star as a symbol of independence.[25]
    • Year of Adoption: 1844 (officially adopted by the Ottoman Empire)
    • Color Palette: Red, white.
    • Did you know? The Turkish flag is often called Ay Yıldız (‘moon-star’), Al Sancak (‘red banner’), or Al Bayrak (‘red flag’).
15

United Arab Emirates

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) features three equal horizontal stripes: green on top, white in the middle, and black on the bottom. On the left side of the flag, there’s a vertical red band. The red color represents courage and sacrifice, the green represents hope and prosperity, the white represents peace and honesty, and the black represents strength and the defeat of enemies. This is actually a common symbolism for flags that use the color black, says Sekeris, as the color often represents “strength,” “fear,” or “war.”[26]
    • Year of Adoption: 1971
    • Color Palette: Red, black, white green.
    • Did you know? The flag’s designer, Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, won a nationwide contest with his design when he was only 19 years old.[27]
    2. Advertisement
16

Yemen

PDF download Download Article
  1. The flag of Yemen features three equal horizontal bands in red (top), white (middle), and black (bottom). This flag was created in order to commemorate the unification of North and South Yemen, and its design is based on the Arab Liberation Flag that was used by Egypt after the country’s 1952 revolution. On Yemen’s flag, the red stripe represents the blood shed for unity, the white stripe represents a bright and peaceful future, and the black stripe represents the country’s dark past.[28]
    • Year of Adoption: 1990
    • Color Palette: Black, white, red.
    • Did you know? Before unification, North and South Yemen had their own flags. These flags both used the Pan-Arab colors of red, white, and black, but they were distinguished by unique symbols. North Yemen’s flag featured a green star, while South Yemen’s flag included a light blue triangle and red star.

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Red Black Green FlagAll the Red, Black, and Green Country Flags (Plus History & Meaning)
Red White and Green FlagWhich Flags Are Red, White, and Green? 18 Countries & Regions
Red White Black Flag17 Black, White, & Red Flags: From History & the Present Day
Red White Red Stripe Flag21 Flags with Red & White Stripes (And Their Meanings)
Red White Blue Flag32 Countries with Blue, White, & Red Flags
Green White Orange Flag5 Countries with Green, White, and Orange Flags (And What They Mean)
Red Yellow Green Flag24 Red-Yellow-Green Country Flags (& Their Meanings)
Blue and White FlagWhat Flag Is Blue and White? 15 Possibilities to Discover
Guess the FlagGuess the Flag Quiz
Black Yellow Red Flag8 Black, Red, and Yellow Flags from Countries, Regions, & Cultures
Green Blue White Flag15 Green Blue & White Country, State, City & Pride Flags
Red Yellow Blue Flag10 Countries with Red, Yellow, and Blue Flags
Blue and Yellow FlagWhich Flags Are Blue and Yellow? (Plus Their Historical Meanings)
Green Yellow Black FlagThe Jamaican Flag (+ Other Green, Gold, and Black Flags)
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://www.diy.org/article/flag_of_bahrain
  2. ↑ https://www.nationsonline.org/flags_big/Cyprus_Flag.html
  3. ↑ Thanos Sekeris. Global Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Iran
  5. ↑ Tareth Peacock. Global Flags Expert. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ Tareth Peacock. Global Flags Expert. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ https://www.youngpioneertours.com/flag-of-iraq/
  8. ↑ Austin Krance. Global Geography and Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  9. ↑ https://www.touristisrael.com/israel-flag/65951/
  1. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Jordan
  2. ↑ Tareth Peacock. Global Flags Expert. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kuwait/flag/
  4. ↑ Thanos Sekeris. Global Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  5. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lebanon/flag/
  6. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/oman/flag/
  7. ↑ Thanos Sekeris. Global Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ Austin Krance. Global Geography and Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  9. ↑ Tareth Peacock. Global Flags Expert. Expert Interview
  10. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Palestine-Liberation-Organization
  11. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/flag/
  12. ↑ Tareth Peacock. Global Flags Expert. Expert Interview
  13. ↑ https://saudiflag.sa/en
  14. ↑ https://media.un.org/photo/en/asset/oun7/oun71094788
  15. ↑ Austin Krance. Global Geography and Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  16. ↑ https://madeinturkeytours.com/turkish-flag/
  17. ↑ Thanos Sekeris. Global Flag Expert. Expert Interview
  18. ↑ https://www.protocol.dubai.ae/en/protocols-listing/protocols/the-united-arab-emirates-flag/
  19. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Yemen

About This Article

Austin Krance
Co-authored by:
Austin Krance
Global Geography and Flag Expert
This article was co-authored by Austin Krance and by wikiHow staff writer, Sophie Burkholder, BA. Austin Krance is a global geography and flag expert based in Los Angeles, CA. With 3 years of experience, Austin specializes in creating viral short-form content, with a focus on trivia, geography, and user interaction. He has amassed over 100k followers on Instagram and 100k followers on TikTok. Austin has also created a suite of online games around geography, sports, and words, played by thousands daily and boasting over 11 million pageviews within the first 2 weeks of game launch. Austin also has a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, with experience as a software engineer.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 3
Updated: November 25, 2025
Views: 733
Categories: Flags
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 733 times.

Did this article help you?

Advertisement