Flag of Qatar

What the flag of Qatar looks like

The flag of Qatar has two parts: a white vertical band next to the pole and a maroon field covering the rest. The border between them is a serrated line with nine white triangular points pointing into the maroon. There are no emblems, stars or text.

The proportions are unusual. The flag is 11 units tall and 28 units long, a ratio of 11:28, which makes it the only national flag with a width of more than twice its height. Most flags are closer to 2:3. Because of this, Qatar's flag is easy to spot on a pole or in a stadium crowd. In 2012 the Qatari government defined the exact shade as Pantone 1955 C, often called Qatar maroon. It is a dark wine red, quite different from the bright red used on most other flags.

A simplified image of the flag is used for the Qatar flag emoji, where the nine points are reduced to a few zigzags.

Qatar flag meaning and symbolism

The white signifies peace, and the maroon reflects Qatar's heritage in purple dye production, a craft that dates back to the Kassite and Sasanian periods. The nine white points represent Qatar as the ninth "reconciled emirate" to sign the 1916 Qatari-British treaty, after Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.

The maroon also has a practical story. According to letters from the British political agent in the Persian Gulf, the white cloth was bought in Bahrain and dyed red locally, but the poor-quality dye faded quickly and the sun turned the flag chocolate-colored. This led to the adoption of maroon in 1936.

History of the Qatari flag

Qatar's historic flag was plain red, matching the red banner traditionally used by the Kharijite leader Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a. In the 19th century a white vertical stripe was added at the hoist to suit a British directive, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani adopted a purple-red and white flag that closely resembled the modern one. In 1932 the nine-pointed serrated edge, diamonds and the word "Qatar" were added, and the maroon shade was standardized in 1936. In the 1960s Sheikh Ali Al Thani removed the wording and diamonds.

Qatar declared independence from the United Kingdom on 3 September 1971, and the flag was officially adopted on 9 July 1971. It was virtually identical to the 1960s flag, except for its proportions. The flag has not changed since. Qatar celebrates National Day on 18 December, and the flag is displayed widely on that date.

Qatar and Bahrain: similar flags

People often confuse Qatar's flag with the flag of Bahrain. Both have a serrated border between white and a red or maroon field. They can be told apart in three ways. Bahrain's field is red, while Qatar's is maroon; Bahrain's border has fewer points (five against nine); and Bahrain's flag has a 3:5 proportion, against Qatar's 11:28. Both are different from the flag of Kuwait, which has black, white, green and red sections.