Issue 36
Elements of Culture
UAE Flag Day
Patriotism in the UAE
November 3rd is the official UAE Flag
day. It is also the anniversary of
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa
Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s accession as
President of the UAE. In honor of this
day, citizens and residents are being
asked to raise the flag at 12noon,
November 3rd to show patriotism and
support for the governance of the UAE
by its leaders.
The flag itself is symbolic of the
struggles and successes of this nation.
Red stands for sacrifice, energy and
power, Green represents prosperity,
growth and success, Black stands for
dignity, authority and elegance, and
White represents Purity, Openness,
Transparency and Peace.
One of the tallest flag poles in the UAE
is in Sharjah constructed on Montazah
Al Jazeera directly across from the
government building. The redesign of
the flag pole at Dubai’s Union House
stands 123 meters and is the second
tallest flagpole in the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed Flag Day 2013
Emirati Flag
The Design
The current UAE flag was designed by Mr. Abdulla Mohammed Al Ma’enah after
he read an advertisement announcing competition for designing the UAE flag by
Abu Dhabi Amiri Diwan, which was released in Al Itihad newspaper published in
Abu Dhabi two months prior to declaration of the UAE. Out of the 1030 designs
received, the flag designed by Mr. Abdulla Mohammed Al Ma’enah was selected.
He was 19 years old at the time. The designer was inspired by verses of poem
written by the poet Safi-u-ddin Al Hali describing our acts as white, plains as
green, battles as dark and swords as red. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was
the first person to hoist the flag on December 2, 1971. UAEflag.facts.co
Learn More
To experience Arabic coffee and learn more about Emirati Culture please join us
for any of our programmes. For programme schedules, visit our Calendar of Events
at www.cultures.ae.