Flag of Kuwait

The flag of Kuwait consists of green, black, white and red colors. It is a rectangular flag in which the green, white, and red colors are arranged in sequence, and the black color is on the left side of the flag in the form of a trapezoid.

The colors of the Kuwaiti flag, like the Iraqi flag, were inspired by a poem by Safi al-Din al-Hilli:

"White are our crafts, black are our facts.
Our pastures are green, our pastures are red"

What do the colors of the Kuwaiti flag mean?

• green symbolizes green fields and lands full of goodness;
• black symbolizes the battles fought by the Kuwaiti army;
• white color is a symbol of peace, good deeds, purity of heart and hard work;
• red color symbolizes the swords that have always been drawn in the face of the enemy to defend the homeland and protect its lands.

History of the flag of Kuwait

Between 1899 and 1909, before Ottoman rule, Kuwait flew a red flag with white, like all flags and banners in the Persian Gulf at the time. During the Ottoman rule, Kuwait used the flag of the Ottoman Empire, which was red with a white crescent moon and a star in the middle. In 1988, Kuwait signed a secret treaty with the United Kingdom, which stipulated that Kuwait would not dispose of any of its lands as a lease or investment for any foreigner without consulting the British authorities, and that Britain would defend Kuwait against any external invasion while maintaining the integrity of its lands. However, the country's flag remained as it is. In 1909, a flag was proposed that would have the words "Kuwait" written in Arabic alongside the crescent and star.

In 1914, Kuwait suffered from friendly fire during the Mesopotamian campaign. This prompted it to seriously consider changing its flag, so in 1915 it removed the crescent moon and star from its flag and added the word "Kuwait" in Arabic letters. This flag was used until 1921. 

After the declaration of Kuwait as an independent sheikhdom under the British mandate, the inscription "Kuwait" was added to the flagpole in parallel, and this flag was used until 1941, when the coat of arms of the Al-Sabah family was added. In 1956, the Sheikh of Kuwait added a wavy white stripe to the flag, so that the flag became red with the word "Kuwait" in Arabic letters in the middle and near the hoist and a white wavy line on the left. This design remained in use on Kuwaiti soil until 1961. 

The flag of Kuwait went through many historical stages until it reached 1961, which is the date of Kuwait's independence. This was the reason why the country chose a flag with a different design - three horizontal stripes: green, white and red, running from top to bottom, in addition to a black trapezoidal shape that occupied the left side.

Interesting facts about the flag of Kuwait

• In 2005, the largest kite in the world was designed using a huge Kuwaiti flag with an area of 950 square meters;
• In 2019, the state of Kuwait broke the record for the longest flag in the world. On February 25, 2019, about 4,000 young Kuwaiti students marched with a 2,019-meter-long flag to celebrate Kuwait's National Day;
• In 2018, three Kuwaiti army officers broke the world skydiving record by jumping from a height of thirteen thousand feet with a Kuwaiti flag with an area of 63 square meters;
• In 2016, a Kuwaiti citizen, Ahmed Al-Bassam, raised the largest flag on an unmanned aerial vehicle for the first time.