Flag of Bahrain

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Kingdom of Bahrain
UseNational flag and ensign Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Reverse side is mirror image of obverse side
Proportion3:5
Adopted14 February 2002; 22 years ago (2002-02-14)
DesignA white field on the hoist side separated from a larger red field on the fly by five white triangles in the form of a zigzag pattern
Bahrain flag

The national flag of Bahrain (Arabic: عَلَم الْبَحرَيْن, romanizedAlem el-Bahreyn) consists of a white band on the left, separated from a red area on the right by five triangles that serve as a serrated line. The five white triangles symbolize the five pillars of Islam, the red on the flag represents the blood of the martyrs and the battles of Bahrain, and the white represents peace. It is sometimes mistaken for the flag of Qatar, but the latter flag is maroon, has nine points and normally has a much greater length-to-width ratio.

White makes up 1340 (32.5%) of the flag, while red makes up 2740 (67.5%).

Colors[edit]


Colors scheme
White Red
Pantone White 485 C [1]
RAL 9016 3028 [2]
CMYK 0-0-0-0 0-95-100-0 [3]
HEX #FFFFFF #DA291C [4]
RGB 255-255-255 218-41-28 [5]

Construction sheet[edit]

Use[edit]

The flag is used on land and at sea as a national, civil and war ensign. In 2002, the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, issued Decree by Law No.(4) for 2002, which pertained to the flag:

  • Article I: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall take a rectangular shape, and shall be divided into two main sections; the first in red, and the other in white color.
  • Article II: The King shall have his own flag, for which a royal order shall be issued to determine its shape, measures, and places.
  • Article III: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted on the Royal Court, Palaces, governmental buildings, public establishments, embassies, Bahraini bureaus abroad, and Bahraini ships.
  • Article IV: Each non-Bahraini ship entering the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall hoist the Flag of the Kingdom, and shall keep the flag hoisted till it departs from the territorial waters of the Kingdom.
  • Article V: The Flag shall be hoisted on governmental buildings, public institutions during public holidays and occasions from sun-rise to sun-set.
  • Article VI: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be hoisted on vehicles, except on the official protocol vehicles.
  • Article VII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted half mast at the state of mourning.
  • Article VIII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be used for commercial purposes.
  • Article IX: In case the Flag is used otherwise, and not as stipulated in the above law, a punishment of one month of imprisonment as a maximum, or a fine not exceeding than BD 100, or both shall be inflicted.[2]

Historical flags[edit]

Flags of Governorates[edit]

Former Governorates[edit]

History[edit]

The earliest known flags of Bahrain were plain red. In 1820, Bahrain signed a general maritime treaty with the British Empire, and as result, a white stripe was added to the flag to signify the treaty and to distinguish it from the flags commonly used by pirates.[6] In 1932, a serrated edge was added to the flag in order to differentiate it from those of its neighbours.[7]

The flag originally had twenty-eight white points, but this was reduced to eight in 1972.[7] On 14 February 2002, the number was again reduced, to five, so that each of the points could stand for one of the Five Pillars of Islam.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "المطبوعات / المطبوعات". www.bahrainouna.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  2. ^ a b "National Flag of Bahrain". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  3. ^ "المطبوعات / المطبوعات". www.bahrainouna.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  4. ^ "المطبوعات / المطبوعات". www.bahrainouna.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  5. ^ "المطبوعات / المطبوعات". www.bahrainouna.com. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  6. ^ Complete Flags of the World (Dk). DK Publishing. 2014. p. 186. ISBN 978-1409353713.
  7. ^ a b Historical flags of Bahrain at Flags of the World
  8. ^ Bahrain at Flags of the World