Flag of Qatar

Template:Use British English Template:Short description Template:Infobox flag The flag of Qatar (Template:Langx) is in the ratio of 11:28. It is maroon with a broad white serrated band of nine points at the hoist. It was adopted shortly before the country declared independence from the United Kingdom on 3 September 1971. The triangular edges represent Qatar as the 9th "reconciled emirate". The flag is similar to the flag of Bahrain, which has fewer points, a 3:5 proportion, and a red colour instead of maroon. Qatar's flag is the only national flag having a width more than twice its height.<ref>"Template:Lang" (When using a flag outside of buildings within the State of Qatar, the ratio between the length and the width of the flag should be 11:28.) - Law No. 14 on the Flag of Qatar - Qatar Legal Portal</ref>

History

Qatar's historic flag was plain red, in correspondence with the red banner traditionally used by the Kharjite leader Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the 19th century, the country modified its entirely red flag with the addition of a white vertical stripe at the hoist to suit the British directive.<ref name="britishempire">Template:Cite web</ref> After this addition, Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani officially adopted a patterned purple-red and white flag which bore a strong resemblance to its modern derivative.<ref name="gov1"/> Several additions were made to the Qatari flag in 1932, with the nine-pointed serrated edge, diamonds, and the word "Qatar" being integrated into its design.<ref name="gov1"/> The maroon colour was standardised in 1936. In the 1960s, Sheikh Ali Al Thani removed the wording and diamonds from the flag.<ref name="gov1"/> The flag was officially adopted on 9 July 1971 and was virtually identical to the 1960s flag, except the height-to-width proportion.<ref name="gov1"/>

Symbolism

The nine serrated points represent Qatar’s position 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.<ref name=":14">Template:Cite web</ref> The white signifies peace, while the maroon reflects the nation’s rich heritage in purple dye production—a craft that dates back to the Kassite and Sasanian periods.<ref name="britishempire" />

In 2012, the Qatari government defined the exact shade of the Qatari flag as Pantone 1955 C, or 'Qatar maroon'.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The history of purple dye in the country dates back several centuries.<ref name="gov1">Template:Cite web</ref> It has been asserted that Qatar was the site of the earliest known production of shellfish dye during the rule of the Kassites due to the presence of a purple dye industry on Al Khor Islands.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Qatar was also known for its production of purple dye during the rule of the Sasanian Empire.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Mohammed bin Thani, who ruled from 1847 to 1876, proposed the creation of a flag with a purple-red colour in order to unify the state, and to highlight its historic role in the production of dye. In 1932, the British Navy suggested an official flag should be designed. According to the Qatari government, the British proposed that the flag be white and red, but Qatar rejected the red colouring and continued using a mixture of purple and red instead.<ref name="gov1" /> According to letters from the British political agent in the Persian Gulf to British India, the white cloth was purchased in Bahrain and was originally dyed red locally. The locally purchased dye was of poor quality that faded rapidly, causing the flag to take a chocolate colour after being tinted darker by the hot desert sun.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This resulted in the eventual adoption of a maroon colouring in 1936.<ref name="gov1" /> The white portion of the flag symbolises the peace procured from signing anti-piracy treaties with the British.