Flag of the United Arab Republic
,_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%E2%80%932024).svg) | |
| "The Arab Banner" | |
| Use | Civil and state flag, civil and state ensign |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 22 February 1958 |
| Relinquished | 28 September 1961 (Syria) 1 January 1972 (Egypt) |
| Design | A horizontal tricolour of red, white, and black charged with two green five-pointed stars in the center. |
| Designed by | National Union |
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]
Design
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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
[edit],_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%E2%80%932024)_(stars_variant_1).svg)
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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[citation needed] and was used as the flag of the Syrian Arab Republic under Ba'athist rule between 1980 and 2024.[9]
In 1963, after the agreement over the formation of a United Arab Republic, both Iraq and Syria adopted a flag that was similar but with three green stars, representing the aspiration that Iraq and Syria would join a renewed United Arab Republic with Egypt. Under the agreement, the flag was planned to be the federation's flag.[10][11][12]
The UAR flag was readopted by the Ba'ath Party of Syria as the flag of Syria used from 1980 to 2024
The flag of Iraq used from 1963 until 2008 and still remains in use as a symbol of various movements in the country, a similar 1:2 version was also briefly used in Syria
The flag of Iraq after 2008 retains the basic layout and colors of the previous flag
Flag of North Yemen used from 1962 until reunification, was based on the UAR flag due to North Yemen's former position in the United Arab States
Flag of the Iraqi-backed Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan in Iran, first used during the Iran–Iraq War
Armed forces flags
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Army flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1961) and Egypt (1961–1972)
Naval Ensign of the United Arab Republic (1958–1961) and Egypt (1961–1972)
Air Force Ensign of the United Arab Republic (1958–1961) and Egypt (1961–1972)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "United Arab Republic". Britannica. Retrieved 2025-12-27.
- ↑ "Egypt as United Arab Republic (1958-1972)". CrwFlags. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ "Syrian Flag". History of Syria. Archived from the original on 20 April 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- 1 2 Marshall, Tim (2017-07-04). A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols. Simon and Schuster. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-5011-6833-8.
- ↑ "The Flag of the United Arab Republic". Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt Website. Archived from the original on 2025-11-11. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ "United Arab Republic (Egypt & Syria, 1958-1961)". CrwFlags. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ Mills, T. F. (10 March 2012). "Pan-Arab Colours". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ↑ "The United Arab Republic is proclaimed by Egypt, Iraq, and Syria | South African History Online". sahistory.org.za. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- ↑ "Saudi Aramco World : Flags of the Arab World". archive.aramcoworld.com. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
- ↑ Podeh, Elie (2003). "To Unite or Not to Unite: That Is Not the Question: The 1963 Tripartite Unity Talks Reassessed". Middle Eastern Studies. 39 (1). Taylor & Francis, Ltd.: 150–185. ISSN 0026-3206. JSTOR 4284280. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
- ↑ Smith, Whitney (1975). Flags Through the Ages and Across the World. McGraw-Hill. p. 174.
- ↑ "Iraq". Flags of the World. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
