Riyadh: For the first time in its history the streets and parks of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were painted green in celebration of Flag Day, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
On March 1, the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a royal decree announcing March 11 to be celebrated as National Flag Day.
He posted a tweet, “The celebration of Flag Day comes as an affirmation of pride in our national identity, and its historical symbolism with great connotations and deep implications, which embodies our constants, and is a source of pride in our history.”
The Ministry of Culture also celebrated this national day by raising the flag at its headquarters in Riyadh. It organised cultural and artistic activities for a period of three days, including a theatrical performance entitled “Rise High”.
On Saturday the Saudi Minister of Education Youssef bin Abdullah Al-Bunyan celebrated the event with a group of students who hoisted the flag and sang the national anthem.
Saleh Al-Mansouf passes away
Calligrapher Saleh Al-Mansouf, who is credited to design the Saudi flag 50 years ago passed away a few hours before the celebration.
Al-Mansouf wrote the word of monotheism with his hand and drew the sword on the banner with white dye.
History behind the Saudi flag
The history of the flag dates back to the banner of the Imams of the first Saudi state which united its lands. The flag’s design underwent several changes over the years before sealing it on March 11, 1937.
Regulations for the flag were issued in 1973. It dictated the flag be rectangular in shape, green in color, and “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” as its center.
A drawn sword with its fist pointed at the lower part of the flag is placed below it parallel to the words of monotheism written in Thuluth script.
