Flag of Oman

What the flag of Oman looks like

The flag of the Sultanate of Oman has three horizontal bands of equal height: white at the top, red in the middle and green at the bottom. A vertical red band runs down the hoist (the side nearest the pole) for the full height of the flag, so the red field wraps around the left side of the other bands.

In the upper part of the red band at the hoist is the national emblem, drawn in white. It shows a curved khanjar dagger in its sheath, lying over two crossed swords. The khanjar is a traditional Omani dagger worn at ceremonies, and the same emblem appears on the country's coat of arms. The sultan has his own standard, and the armed forces use ensigns that are based on the national flag. A flag emoji for Oman is also available.

Oman flag meaning and symbolism

The meanings usually given for the colors are:

• White for peace and prosperity.
• Red for the battles fought against foreign invaders. Red has also long been the traditional color of the rulers of Oman.
• Green for the fertile land and for the Jebel Akhdar, the "Green Mountain" range in the north.

The emblem combines the khanjar and the crossed swords, which together stand for the defence of the country and for Omani identity and tradition. The meanings of the colors are traditional and are not set out in a legal definition, so different sources word them a little differently.

History of the Oman flag

For a long period the flag of Oman was a plain red banner, used by the sultans of Muscat and Oman. Red had long been associated with the rulers of the country, and the plain red flag stayed in use well into the 20th century.

The big change came in 1970, when Sultan Qaboos bin Said took power from his father. The state was renamed the Sultanate of Oman instead of Muscat and Oman, and the flag was changed to add the white and green bands, which gave the flag the three-color pattern used today. The national emblem was placed on the red hoist band.

The design was refined in the 1990s, and the version flown now dates from 1995. Oman celebrates its National Day on 18 November.

Flags that look like the Oman flag

Oman's flag shares white, red and green with several others, but few look close to it. The flag of the United Arab Emirates, the neighbor to the north, also has a red bar at the hoist, but its other bands are green, white and black and it has no emblem. The flag of Qatar is maroon and white. The Omani emblem and the red hoist band make the flag easy to tell apart.