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The Saudi flag is
patterned after a green flag with Arabic text (called the Shahada), carried in the 19th century by the Wahabi’s, a Muslim sect
that strictly observes the Koran.
At the turn of the 20th century Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, who had adopted
the Wahabi form of Islam and the green flag, gained control of most of
the Arabian Peninsula and established a kingdom.
Around 1906, a white sword was added to the flag.
The flag was retained when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, named after
Abdul Aziz ibn Saud, was created in 1932.
Over the years slight artistic modifications have been made to the
flag, with the most recent design dating from the 15th of March 1973. |
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Green is a traditional
Islamic colour linked to Mohammad (the prophet who founded Islam) and
to the Fatimid dynasty. It is also the colour adopted by the Wahabi’s.
The white text, written in Arabic, is called the Shahada and is the
Muslim Statement of Faith. It reads from right to left: ‘There is no
God but Allah and Mohammad is the Prophet of Allah’.
The sword is a symbol of justice and represents the first Saudi King,
Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. |
