Flag of Iraq

The flag of Iraq is one of the main symbols of the statehood of this country. The current flag of the Iraqi Republic is quite young: it was adopted by the parliament of the country in 2008.

This is what the modern flag of Iraq looks like:

History of the flag of Iraq

For a total of 98 years of Iraq’s independence, seven flags have changed. The first flag of Iraq was a cloth similar to the modern Jordanian flag: three horizontal stripes painted in black, white and green with a red triangle at the left edge.

Three years later (in 1924) it underwent a modification: the triangle on the left side of the flag was shortened to a geometric trapezium. Inside this figure were placed two white stars with seven vertices.

In this form the flag existed for 35 years. In 1959, there was a coup d’état in Iraq that overthrew the ruling monarchical dynasty. This was also reflected in the national flag, which had a completely new appearance: it now consisted of three vertical stripes painted in black, white and green, respectively. The central white stripe also had a red figure in the form of a luminary with seven peaks and a yellow circle in the middle. This sun was added to the flag for a reason – the yellow color stood for the Kurdish people of Iraq, and the red for the Assyrian people of that country.

But this flag did not remain a symbol of Iraq for long – four years later there was another military coup in the country. The new national flag was a cloth consisting of three stripes of the following colors: red, white, and black. They were equal and arranged horizontally. In the middle of the flag were three green stars. The stars on the flag stood for the declared goals of the ruling (and the only legal political party in Iraq at the time) Baath Party: “unity,” “freedom,” and “socialism.

In 1991 the flag was updated with a takbir (the phrase “Allahu akbar!”) written in the handwriting of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. After Hussein’s overthrow in 2004, the takbir was written on the flag in traditional Arabic script.

The last change to the Iraqi flag to date occurred in 2008: the flag was stripped of the green stars.

Unaccepted flag

After the overthrow of the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, there was a proposal to adopt a flag quite unlike any historical Iraqi cloth. It consisted of a white cloth with three narrow stripes at the bottom (the colors of the stripes were blue, yellow, and blue). The white cloth itself had an azure-blue crescent moon on it.

The blue crescent on this version of the Iraqi flag was a symbol of Islam, the two blue lines represented the great rivers of Iraq (Euphrates and Tigris), and the yellow line represented the Kurdish nation. However, this version of the state symbol was not popular with Iraqi Arabs: it was considered too similar to the Israeli tricolor.

Description of the flag of Iraq

The current flag of Iraq, adopted in 2008, looks like a rectangular canvas of three horizontal stripes of equal height. From top to bottom, the stripes are red, white, and black. In the central part of the cloth (on the white stripe) is the inscription “Allahu akbar!” written in large print in traditional Arabic script.

Meaning of colors and flag symbol

The red of the Iraqi flag is a symbol of the struggle against the enemies of Islam. White defines Arab generosity and nobility. Black represents the past of the Iraqi people and state. The green color with which the flag bears the inscription “Allahu akbar!” – is the traditional color of the Islamic world.

There is another interpretation of these colors and symbols, according to which red is the color of the pre-Islamic traditional Arab religion, white is the color of unity of Arabs around the world, and black is the color of mourning for fallen soldiers in battle.

General information about Iraq

Map of Iraq