Lifestyle
A very important day in the UAE’s calendar will be marked this week – Flag Day.
While there is no official day off for UAE Flag Day, it’s a day of significance as it marks the day when the late His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ascended into the role of President of the UAE.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, even shared a message of importance earlier this week to mark UAE Flag Day.
“We call on our citizens, organisations, and ministries to hoist the flag simultaneously on November 3 at 11:00 am to express the unity of our home and our destiny,” he said on Twitter.
But what exactly is UAE Flag Day? is here to highlight everything you need to know.
What is UAE Flag Day?
٣ نوفمبر القادم تحتفل دولتنا بيوم العلم، ندعو كافة وزاراتنا ومؤسساتنا لرفعه بشكل موحد الساعة 11 صباحاً في ذلك اليوم. سيبقى علمنا مرفوعاً .. سيبقى رمز عزتنا ووحدتنا خفاقاً .. ستبقى راية عزنا ومجدنا وسيادتنا عالية في سماء الإنجاز والولاء والوفاء .. pic.twitter.com/eLmH90j5Ae
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 28, 2022
UAE Flag Day was first launched in 2013 and is celebrated every year on November 3. However, it is not recognised as a public holiday.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid was the one with the idea to launch the annual Flag Day as a commemoration to Sheikh Khalifa who was elected President of the UAE on November 3, 2004.
The history of the UAE flag
The UAE flag was designed in 1971 by 19-year-old Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was inspired by a poem of Safiul Din Al Holi in his design. The poem touches on the themes of benevolence, goodness and kindness, which are represented in the colours of the flag.
Last year, the now President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan explained the UAE flag is “an enduring display of national unity”.
قبل خمسين عاماً، توحد شعبنا واجتمعت كلمته تحت راية واحدة، وفي “يوم العلم” نجدد العهد مع الوطن بقيادة الشيخ خليفة بأن تبقى رايته مصدر فخرنا واعتزازنا ورمزاً لقوة وحدتنا. pic.twitter.com/UyQPBASZgM
— محمد بن زايد (@MohamedBinZayed) November 3, 2021
The flag was designed in 1971 by 19-year-old Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, who was inspired by a poem by Safiul Din Al Holi in his design. The poem touches on the themes of benevolence, goodness and kindness, which are represented in the colours of the flag.
His father, the late Sheikh Zayed and father of the UAE, was also involved in the design process of the flag.
