Iraq

3×5' nylon national flag of Iraq.

Iraq's flag has been rewritten, quite literally, three times in two decades. The words Allahu Akbar ("God is great") were added in 1991 in Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, recast in classical Kufic script in 2004, and in 2008 the three green stars beside them were removed.

Design

Three equal horizontal bands of red, white and black, with the takbir in green Kufic script centered in the white band.

History & Symbolism

The red, white and black are the Arab Liberation colors first used in Egypt's revolution of 1952. Iraq adopted them in 1963, with three green stars for a hoped-for union with Egypt and Syria. The present flag, without the stars, was adopted on 22 January 2008. Red stands for courage, white for generosity, black for the victories of Islam, and green for the faith itself.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 22 January 2008
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: red, white, black, green
• Emblem: the takbir in Kufic script

Vexillographer's Note

Arabic is read right to left, so on the flag the inscription begins at the fly side. Flags carrying script are traditionally made to read correctly from both faces.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864