Flag of Morocco
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Image:Flag of Morocco.svg | |
| Use | National flag and state ensign. Image:FIAV 111010.svg |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 2 March 1956 |
| Design | An interwoven green pentagram centered on a red field. |
| Image:Civil Ensign of Morocco.svg | |
| Use | Civil ensign. Image:FIAV 000100.svg |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | As above, with a larger pentagram and a yellow one-starred crown in the canton. |
| Image:Naval Ensign of Morocco.svg | |
| Use | Naval ensign. Image:FIAV 000001.svg |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | As above, with a yellow one-starred crown in each corner. |
The flag of Morocco (Arabic: علم المغرب) is made of a red field with a black-bordered green interwoven star.
At the time of the rule of the Marinid and Saadi dynasties, the Moroccan flag used to be completely white. It was only around 1666, that the Alaouite Dynasty changed the flag color from white to deep red, which is the color symbol of the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The red-only flag stayed the same until the beginning of the French protectorate, during which period, red-colored flags started to create a general confusion because of the new communist nations who adopted red as a color for their own flags as well.
Rachid Sbihi, a Moroccan historian and numismatic specialist, says that the decision taken then was to keep the red-only flag as a symbol for the Royal Makhzen, while the national flag would bear a 6-pointed green star in its center. It would stay like this until the royal Dahir of 1915 changed the 6-pointed star to a 5-pointed star.
The 6-pointed star used in the Moroccan flag is also known as the Seal of Solomon (Sulaïman in Arabic) or the Star of David. However, it was not chosen to be on the Moroccan flag for that reason, since the 6-pointed star is a symbol of life, wisdom and good health common to all three major monotheistic religions. The Seal of Solomon was also stamped on the 100 and 200 francs coins as well as on some Makhzen stamps until 1954.
According to Rachid Sbihi, it seems that the change of stars was done by General Hubert Lyautey when getting ready to send Moroccan troops to fight during World War I. Rachid Sbihi points out that reasons why General Lyautey would do such a thing were neither clear nor valid. The Moroccan people however, were given another explanation that could be the right one: the new star was best adapted to the country’s religion and faith since the 5 branches could symbolize the 5 pillars of Islam.
The new flag however would only be displayed flush on the ground until Morocco's independence in 1956.
[edit] External links
Flags of Africa | |
|---|---|
| Sovereign states | Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · The Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe |
| Dependencies, autonomies and other territories | Canary Islands (Spain) · Ceuta (Spain) · Madeira (Portugal) · Mayotte (France) · Melilla (Spain) · Puntland · Réunion (France) · St. Helena (UK) · Socotra (Yemen) · Somaliland · Southern Sudan · Western Sahara · Zanzibar (Tanzania) |
National flags and coats of arms | |
|---|---|
| National flags | Sovereign states · Dependent territories · Unrecognized states · Formerly independent states |
| National coats of arms | Sovereign states · Dependent territories · Unrecognized states |
ast:Bandera de Marruecos bs:Zastava Maroka de:Flagge Marokkos el:Σημαία του Μαρόκου es:Bandera de Marruecos eu:Marokoko bandera fr:Drapeau du Maroc bpy:মরক্কোর ফিরালহান id:Bendera Maroko it:Bandiera del Marocco he:דגל מרוקו sw:Bendera ya Moroko lt:Maroko vėliava hu:Marokkó zászlaja nl:Vlag van Marokko ja:モロッコの国旗 no:Marokkos flagg pl:Flaga Maroka pt:Bandeira de Marrocos ro:Steagul Marocului ru:Флаг Марокко sk:Vlajka Maroka sr:Застава Марока fi:Marokon lippu sv:Marockos flagga th:ธงชาติโมร็อกโก wa:Drapea do Marok zh:摩洛哥國旗
