Flag of Bahrain

Flag Ratio: 3:5

The national flag of Bahrain is a white band on the left, with a red area on the right split by five triangles.

Red is the traditional colour for flags of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The five points are for the five pillars of Islam.

It is very similar to the flag of Qatar, but that flag is darker, has more points, and is longer than the Flag of Bahrain.

History

The oldest known flags of Bahrain were plain red. In 1820, Bahrain made a treaty with the United Kingdom. A white stripe was added to show the truce. In 1932, a saw-like edge was added to make the flag of Bahrain different from its neighbours.

The flag first had twenty-eight white points. This was changed to eight in 1972. In 2002 the number was changed to five. This was so that each of the points could stand for one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

• 
  Flag used from 1820 to 1932.
• 
  Flag used from 1932 to 1972.
• 
  Flag used from 1972 to 2002.
• 
  Royal Standard since 2002.