National Flag of the Lebanese Republic (1943)

A prominent feature of the Lebanese flag is a cedar tree, which has been used as a symbol by the Maronite Christians of Lebanon since the 18th and 19th centuries. 

A green cedar on a white field was used as a flag in Lebanon after Ottoman (Turkish) rule came to an end in the region at the end of the First World War, in 1918.

Lebanon was created by France in 1920 and then governed by them from land provided in a League of Nations mandate. 

The flag used by the French controlled Lebanon was the national flag of France with a cedar tree placed in the centre white panel.

Lebanon initially proclaimed independence in 1941 and adopted their current national flag on the 9th of November 1943. 

However, full Lebanese independence was not recognised until January 1944. 

The Symbolic Meaning

The cedar tree is a traditional symbol of Lebanon connoting peace, immortality and tolerance.

Red symbolises martyrdom and self-sacrifice, while white represents the snow-capped peaks of Lebanon’s mountains. 

Historically red and white have symbolised the Kayssites (red) and the Yemmenites (white), combative clans within the Lebanese territory between 634 and 1711.