HISTORICAL FLAGS

Iraq's flag of 1959–1963

Iraq's flag from 1959 to 1963 is striking through vertical black-and-white-green orbits and a red eight-pointed star with a yellow midpoint. It was created after the fall of the monarchy. The law at that time explicitly explains their forms and colours; this allows the state’s self-expression to be described more accurately than through freely invented or subsequently simplified colour interpretations.

Test your knowledge →

Iraq's flag of 1959–1963 · supplied learning collection

Key facts and distinctions

Article focus: Historical flag variants
Date convention: Periods describe the illustrated variant
Scope: Selected designs; no Nazi flags or symbols
Use period: 1959–1963
Legal basis: Act No 102 of 1959
Intended start of use: 14 July 1959
Paths from the mast: Black, White, Green
Starfish: Dark red and eight-pointed
Concentration: Yellow disc with white ring
Side Ratio: 1:2
Replacement: Flag Setting No. 28 of 1963

An eight-pointed star in the white orbit

From the mast to the outside follows three equally wide vertical fields in black, white and green. At the center of the white orbit lies a dark red eight-pointed star. Its center forms a yellow disc separated by a white ring. The 1959 law established a height-to-length ratio of one to two for the flag.

The middle sign is often referred to as the sun in simplistic descriptions. For this page, however, the legal designation as an eight-pointed star with a yellow disk is decisive. This distinction helps to describe the visible image without attributing any meaning to it. Especially the narrow white ring belongs to the pattern and should be noted when comparing similar images.

The flag of the first republican years

On July 14, 1958, a military coup under Abd al-Karim Qasim overthrew the Iraqi monarchy. The king and other leading members of the previous order were killed. The Republic developed new symbols, but the flag change did not take place on the day of the overthrow. Act No. 102 of 1959 designated July 14, 1959 as the beginning of use.

The explanatory statement represented the new flag as a conscious departure from the monarchy. Their language is part of the political self-expression of the then government and is not a neutral evaluation of the overthrow. In this historical context, republicanism, Iraqi statehood and different ideas of Arab unity coexisted. The particular pattern is therefore more precisely assigned to a certain phase than to a general, unchanged republican tradition.

1963 was followed by another unity project

In February 1963, Qasim was overthrown by another coup. A contemporary American government document described the new leadership as strongly pan-Arab oriented. Such diplomatic assessments show the perspective of their authors; they are historical sources and not a conclusive assessment of all parties involved or Iraqi society.

The new Flag Setting No. 28 of 1963 explicitly repealed the 1959 Act. It prescribed horizontal red-white-black stripes and three green stars, referring in its justification to a planned alliance with Egypt and Syria. Thus, the replacement shows a change in political priorities within the republic. The years 1959-1963 mark the design shown, not the entire history of Republican Iraq.

Details Worth Remembering

Read the meaning in the law

The legal text connects the star and yellow disk together with Arabs and Kurds as parts of the Iraqi population. This proven formulation is more robust than common assignments of individual radiations to other population groups. A historical explanation should distinguish between official assertion and social reality.

Anniversary as an Introduction Date

The government chose the first anniversary of the coup for the start of flag use. Thus, the political break was also anchored in the calendar. State foundation or change of government, publication of the law and first use of a flag therefore do not have to fall on the same day.

Vertical or horizontal

The alignment of the color paths is a particularly good learning feature here. The 1959 draft is vertically structured, its successor from 1963 horizontally. Together with the number and shape of the stars, this historical version can thus be recognized without complicated coat of arms details.