Flag of Lebanon
The
flag of Lebanon was adopted on
December 7,
1943. It was first drawn in Deputy
Saeb Salam's house in Mousaitbeh by the deputies of the Lebanese parliament.
The flag is formed of two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal white stripe. The white stripe is to be two times a red one (ratio 1:2:1)â€"a
Spanish fess. The green
cedar in the middle touches both red stripes and its width is one third of the width of the flag. (The description of the flag is cited in the
Lebanese Constitution, Chapter 1, Article 5.)
It is a common mistake to draw the branches of the cedar in brown or black. Nevertheless the mistake is unconstitutional. The cedar must be full green.
The red stripes symbolize the pure blood shed in the aim of liberation. The white stripe symbolizes peace, and the white snow covering Lebanon's mountains. The green cedar (Arz) (Species:
Cedrus libani or
Lebanon Cedar) symbolizes immortality and steadiness.This cedar is referenced many times in the Bible: "The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psalms 92:12).
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The Lebanese flag after the fall of the Ottoman empire. |
Through history, Lebanon, or at least its region, had taken the flag of the people who occupied it (
Phoenician,
Mamluk,
Ottoman)
In the 18th century the
Maronites used a white flag with a cedar tree in the centre. It seems that in the
First World War, Lebanese nationalists added the red stripes, representing firstly, the martyrs' blood, and secondly, red and white were the colours of the
Lebanese Legion, which, formed by the French in
1916, was the forerunner of the Lebanese Army.
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The Lebanese flag, during the French mandate (1918-1943). |
During the
French Mandate of Lebanon, the Lebanese flag was designed by the president of the Lebanese Renaissance Movement, the late
Naoum Mukarzel. It was similar to the
tricolour flag of France but with a Cedar in the middle.
Seeking for independence, the actual flag was first drawn in deputy
Saeb Salam's house in Mousaitbeh by the deputies of the Lebanese parliament. It was adopted on
December 7 1943, during a meeting in the parliament, where the article 5 in the Lebanese constitution was modified.
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The first Lebanese flag, the Independence flag, signed by the deputies. |
