Flag of United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The UAE flag is the national flag of the United Arab Emirates and consists of three horizontal stripes of equal size: green, white and black, as well as a vertical line of red, symbolizing unity, solidarity and cooperation between the seven emirates.

What do the colors of the UAE flag mean?

The flag of the United Arab Emirates consists of four colors: black, white, red and green, and each color has a special meaning and symbolism: 

• black symbolizes courage, sound mind and defeat of enemies; 
• white symbolizes peace, purity, integrity, kindness and tolerance; 
• red color symbolizes courage and blood shed for the sake of liberation of the Motherland;
• green color symbolizes optimism, hope and prosperity of the UAE.

Who designed the flag of the United Arab Emirates?

Abdullah Mohammed Al Maina is the designer who was responsible for creating the flag of the United Arab Emirates. He was born in 1949 in Dubai and studied arts and crafts at the Gulf School in Sharjah. After graduation, he worked as an artist and graphic designer for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and designed logos and flags. In 1971, when the United Arab Emirates was established, Al Maina was chosen to design the country's flag. He was inspired by traditional Arabic colors and flags used in the Middle Ages. His design was chosen among 1,030 other designs and became a symbol of unity and independence. Al Maina has become a prominent figure among artists and designers in the United Arab Emirates, receiving many awards and recognition for his contribution to the world of design.

How did the UAE flag come to be?

The history of the UAE flag began in 1971, when the rulers of the seven emirates met and elected Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as president of the state. The creation of the United Arab Emirates was announced and the flag was raised for the first time. On this occasion, the artillery fired twenty-one volleys. Since that day, the UAE has been considered an independent, sovereign state with values and principles that define its Arab identity, which stands for truth, peace and international norms.

What flags is the UAE flag similar to?

There are no flags that are completely identical, but there are several that have similar designs and colors: white, black, green, red. None of them have the color sequence green, white, black like the UAE flag. These four colors are considered pan-Arab (colors of Arab unity). Each of the 4 pan-Arab colors represents a particular Arab dynasty or era: black was the color of the flag of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, white was chosen by the Umayyads, green was chosen by the Fatimids, and red was the flag of the Kharijites.

The flags of Western Sahara(1), Jordan(2), and Palestine(3) have a black, white, and green tricolor and a red triangle instead of the red servant on the left. 

The flag of Kuwait(4) and the flag of Sudan(5) also consist of pan-Arab colors. And this is their only similarity to the UAE flag, as the color sequence is different, and the rectangle on the left is replaced by a trapezoid and a triangle, respectively.

Interesting facts about the UAE flag

• In 2013, a record-breaking mosaic of greeting cards was assembled. Its size was 121 square meters, a total of 5.5 thousand cards were used and about 4 thousand people were involved;
• In 2014, the largest flag made of soccer balls was recorded. 6000 of them were used;
• In 2016, the UAE flag entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest flag formed by people. A total of 3929 people took part;
• In 2017, the largest flag in the world was hoisted on a flagpole. Its dimensions were 70 by 35 meters.