Pan-Arab colors - Misplaced Pages

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The Pan-Arab colors are black, white, green and red. Individually, they have their origins in the flags of prominent empires and dynasties in Arab history. They were first combined in the flag of the Arab Revolt in 1916. They are used currently in the flags of Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Libya, and the United Arab Emirates and formerly in the flag of the fleeting six month union of the Arab Federation.

From the 1950s onwards, a sub-set of the Pan-Arab colors, the Arab Liberation colors, came to prominence. These consist of a tricolour of red, white, and black bands, with green given less prominence (reserved for five-pointed stars, a chevron, or Arabic text). The Arab Liberation colors were inspired by the use of the Arab Liberation Flag in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. These appear in the flags of Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, and formerly in the flags of the flags of the rival states of North Yemen and South Yemen, and in the short-lived Arab unions of the United Arab Republic, and the Federation of Arab Republics.

Each of the four Pan-Arab colors were intended to represent a certain Arab dynasty, or era. The black was the color of the banner of Muhammad, and of the Abbasid Caliphate; white was used by the Umayyad Caliphate; green was used by the Fatimid Caliphate as a reminder of the Battle of Badr to symbolize their support of Ali Bin Abi Talib; red was the flag held by the Khawarij, and then became the symbol of rulers in the Maghreb, and Al-Andalus.

Other Arab states, while not using all of the Pan-Arab colors, do use some of them in other combinations. For example, the flag of Algeria uses green, white, and red, but not black.

Current flags with Pan-Arab colors

Sovereign states

Partially recognized states

Unrecognized state

Somaliland

Former national flags with the Pan-Arab colors

Hejaz (1917–1920)
Syria (1920-03-08 to 1920-07-24)
Hejaz (1920–1926)
Emirate of Ha'il (1920-1921)
Iraq (1921–1959)
Hejaz (1926–1932)
Syria (1932–1958 and 1961–1963) (used currently, 2011 onwards, by the Syrian Interim Government, and the Free Syrian Army)
Palestine (All-Palestine Government) (1948-1959)
Egypt (1952–1958)
Arab Federation (1958)
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)
Iraq (1959–1963)
North Yemen (1962–1990)
Iraq (1963–1991) and Syria (1963–1972)
Palestine (1964-2006)
South Yemen (1967–1990)
Libya (1969–1972)
Federation of Arab Republics (Egypt (1972–1984), Syria (1972–1980), and Libya (1972–1977))
Arab Islamic Republic (1974)
Iraq (1991–2004)
Iraq (2004-2008)

Flags of Arab political movements using Pan-Arab colors

Flag of Ottoman era Istanbul-based autonomist "Arab Literature Club" (1909-1915), a precursor Arab flag
Flag of Ottoman era autonomist "Society of Young Arabs" (1911-1916), a precursor Arab flag
Flag of the Ba'ath Party
Flag used by Arab separatists and autonomists in Khuzestan, Iran
Flag used by the separatist National Council of Ahwaz in Khuzestan, Iran
Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad