FLAG OF SAUDI ARABIA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Saudi Arabia is the national flag of that Asian country. Its design is simple, as it consists of a green background in which a phrase in Arabic is inscribed. Translated, it means "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet."

At the bottom of the inscription, a sword pointing to the left seems to underline the sacred phrase. It will always point in the direction the sentence should be read, from right to left. In order for the phrase to always be legible and the sword to point in the correct direction, the flags must be different on both sides.

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On the meanings, the sword commemorates the union of the kingdom in the twelfth century; for its part, the color green represents Islam. It is also associated with the Wahhabis, which is the most common branch of Sunni prevailing in Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as it is officially known, has been characterized by the rigidity of its laws that derive from its religion. This country strictly enforces Islamic law, known as sharia.

Applied to the flag, according to the laws of this country it cannot be raised to half-mast because the word of God cannot be the object of mourning, and doing so can lead to criminal penalties.

History

Before the current state of Saudi Arabia, there were the emirates of Nechd and Hijaz. To create the flag of the Saudi kingdom, the Nechd flag was used as a base or inspiration, consisting of a green background and a white crescent.

The crescent was present from 1744 to 1902, when it was exchanged for inscriptions in white Arabic letters. This lasted until 1921.

By this date the flag adopted the current inscription next to the sword, but it covered almost the entire rectangle. It remained until 1926, when it was modified by adding a white frame and the sword was removed.

In 1932 it was modified again, adding a white stripe to the left side of the banner. On the right side was centered the holy phrase underlined with the sword.

In 1934 the stripe became thinner, until in 1938 it was removed and resulted in the current flag. That design was not standardized until 1973, so there were variants with two swords or a white vertical stripe.

Meaning

The flag of Saudi Arabia is green and has an inscription in its center in Arabic script with Thuluth script. This is also called "profession of faith", one of the pillars of Islam.

The phrase translated into Spanish is "There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is his prophet." Below this is a horizontally arranged sword, which seems to underline the text. In turn, the phrase symbolizes the victory of Ibn Saud, who reigned in the 30s on the territory of the Arabian peninsula.

Furthermore, the sword commemorates the union of the kingdom in the 12th century under the leadership of Ibn Saud. To raise the flag, two banners are sewn, so that it can be read correctly on both sides and that the sword always points to the left.

Green is the traditional color of Islam. A legend says that it was the color used by the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, for his cape.

The green color is also characteristic of Wahhabis and Sunnis in general, who are the largest branch of Islam. In addition, green has become the main color of Pan-Arabism and is also used in institutions such as the Arab League.

Use of the flag

The Saudi flag contains a sacred inscription. As this phrase mentions God and his role, its use on T-shirts or decorative elements is not allowed. This could generate blasphemy and constitute a crime, by ridiculing the divine word.

As a sign of respect, the flag of Saudi Arabia should never fly at half mast. If done, it would be charged with a threat of criminal prosecution under the country's Islamic laws.

Another flag-related event was the complaint that was made in 2006 when the Saudi Arabian flag was added to the Germany FIFA World Cup soccer ball. The Saudi government complained about this fact, because the sacred writing would be kicked.

Other flags of Saudi Arabia

Countries, in addition to their national flag, usually have other flags that they use for different matters. Most of them focus on the military and naval field.

Saudi Arabia has, first of all, a flag for its merchant marine. This flag, also known as the civil pavilion, maintains green throughout its surface.

In the upper right corner he has to his credit the country's flag. To differentiate between both surfaces that are the same color, a small white border is used.

Royal flags

As Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, royal banners are also of particular importance. The banner that corresponds to the king, head of state, is the same as the national flag, but in the lower right it has the emblem of Saudi Arabia.

The emblem is made up of a palm tree and two crossed swords at the bottom. On the royal banner, the emblem is completely yellow. On the other hand, in that of the crown prince, the emblem is white.

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Naval and military flags

Also Saudi Arabia has a naval flag. This is made up of the country's flag, but with a blue stripe on the left side. The strip contains the coat of arms of the Saudi Royal Navy. The bow flag of the country is a blue background and in the middle, the coat of arms of the navy.

On the other hand, each of the components of the Saudi armed forces has its own flag. In all of them, the Saudi flag is in miniature in the upper right corner, as in the flag of the merchant marine.

For the Earth Force, there is a sand-colored background, emulating the country's soil. In the center left is the component shield.

The Naval Force has the same design with its respective shield but in blue. The Defense Air Force also shares the style, but with its shield and the color black.

References

1. Al-Rasheed, M. (2003). History of Saudi Arabia. Cambrigde University, Madrid. Recovered from books.google.co.ve
2. Bosemberg, L. (1998). Saudi Arabia: tribalism, religion, connection with the West and conservative modernization. Critical History. Recovered from r edalyc.org
3. Klein, F. (2009). Art and Islam. Muhammad and his representation. Bet. Journal of Social Sciences.
4. Nevo, J. (1998). Religion and national identity in Saudi Arabia, Middle Eastern Studies. Recovered from tandfonline.com
5. Smith, W. (2001). Flag Lore of All Nations. Millbrook Press. Recovered from books.google.co.ve.