This flag must never be lowered to half-mast

A green rectangle, a white inscription in Arabic, and a sword pointing to the left — this is how the flag of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia looks, one of the only national flags in the world that bears a full religious text rather than an abstract symbol. Its historical origin, the meaning behind it, and the strict rules for its use make it an exceptional case in the world of vexillology (the study of flags).

Religion is the state

The roots of the flag stem from the 18th century, from the Wahhabi religious movement, which sought to purify Islam and restore its simplicity. During that period, green flags (the color of Islam) were common in the Arab region, bearing the Shahada — the testimony of Islamic faith: "Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Allah wa anna Muhammadan rasulu-Allah" ("I testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger"). The House of Saud, which linked its fate to the movement from its inception, adopted the green flag as its symbol, with a slightly shortened version of the declaration — "La ilaha illa-Allah, Muhammad rasulu-Allah" — written in the ornate Thuluth script.

At the beginning of the 20th century, after Abdulaziz ibn Saud conquered Riyadh and began building what would eventually become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he added a white sword to the flag, which expressed the military nature of the establishment, as well as power and justice. Over the following decades, the flag underwent several versions, including a vertical white stripe and two crossed swords, until in 1937 a flag was adopted in the format we know today, and in the 70s the shape of the sword on the flag was updated and the current design was established.

Unique rules

The Saudi flag has been granted several rules and implications that no other flag has received: according to the law, the blade of the sword must always point to the left, in accordance with the direction of Arabic writing from right to left, and the inscription must also always be in the correct direction. Therefore, it is the only flag in the world that is printed on both sides of the fabric separately, so that the two sides are not a mirror image of each other.

In addition, because the flag bears the sacred declaration for Muslims, Saudi law treats it almost as a sacred object, and not just a state symbol: according to the national flag law, it is forbidden to imprint it on clothing, consumer products, or decorative items, and it is forbidden to place it on the floor. Therefore, when the World Cup was held in the country, its flag was one of the few that did not appear on the official soccer ball of the tournament, so as not to kick the sacred declaration.

Another unique rule that has almost no parallels: the Saudi flag is never lowered to half-mast — even on national days of mourning — because lowering it is considered an insult to the name of God that appears on it. The only countries with a similar rule are Afghanistan and Somaliland, which display the Shahada, and Iraq, which includes the words "Allahu Akbar".

When a flag wears out, the law requires the body possessing it to destroy it with dignity, and not to throw it away as ordinary waste. Its folding is also subject to procedure: the Shahada must remain visible in the upper part of the folded fabric, with the sword underneath it.