Flag of the United Arab Republic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Flag of the United Arab Republic (Arabic: علم الجمهورية العربية المتحدة) was adopted following the unification of Egypt and Syria into a single state known as the United Arab Republic on 22 February 1958. Syria left the union on 28 September 1961 following the 1961 Syrian coup d'état.[1] Egypt would continue to use the name and symbols of the United Arab Republic until 1972.[2] The flag was readopted by Ba'athist Syria in 1980 and remained in use until the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, symbolizing Syria's continued commitment to Arab unity.[3]

Proportion2:3
Adopted22 February 1958
Relinquished28 September 1961 (Syria)
1 January 1972 (Egypt)
Quick facts Use, Proportion ...
United Arab Republic
"The Arab Banner"
UseCivil and state flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion2:3
Adopted22 February 1958
Relinquished28 September 1961 (Syria)
1 January 1972 (Egypt)
DesignA horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black charged with two green five-pointed stars in the center.
Designed byNational Union
Close

Design

The flag seen behind Gamal Abdel Nasser during a meeting with Lebanese leader Fouad Chehab

The flag consisted of a horizontal triband of red, white, and black, with two green five-pointed stars centred on the white band. The colors were taken from the Arab Liberation Flag that was used in Egypt since the 1952 Egyptian revolution. The black stood for the experience of colonial oppression endured by Arabs, the red symbolized the sacrifices and bloodshed in the fight for liberation from colonial rule, and white signified peace and bright future envisioned for independent Arab states.[4] The two stars represented Egypt and Syria, and their green color represented Islam.[5][6][7][4]

Later use

Iraq adopted a variation of the UAR's flag with a third star to represent Iraqi aspirations to join a new Arab Union

Egypt continued to use the flag of the United Arab Republic until 1972, after it changed its official name to the Arab Republic of Egypt.[8] It was briefly used by North Yemen between 27 September and 1 November 1962 during the North Yemen civil war and was used as the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic under Ba'athist rule between 1980 and 2024.[9] In 1963, Iraq adopted a flag that was similar but with three green stars, representing the aspiration that Iraq would join a renewed United Arab Republic with Egypt and Syria.[10][11]

Armed forces flags

See also

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI