---
title: "Flag of Saudi Arabia: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Saudi Arabia flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/saudi-arabia/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Saudi Arabia

**The flag of Saudi Arabia: A green field bearing the Islamic declaration of faith in white Thuluth script, with a horizontal white sword beneath it, point toward the hoist.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1973

*[Flag drawn on the page: Saudi Arabia]*

Because the flag carries the shahada, it is never flown at half-mast, is not used on commercial goods, and is manufactured as two flags sewn back to back so the Arabic reads correctly from either side — otherwise the reverse would show the declaration of faith mirrored. The vertical hoist version rotates the whole design so the text still reads right to left from the viewer's perspective. A 1938 attempt to standardise the sword produced several competing shapes, settled only in 1973. It is one of a handful of flags whose design is religious text rather than a device.

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **Green** (#006C35) — Traditionally associated with Islam
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Purity; the script and the sword

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Shahada | "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God" |
| Sword | Justice, and the House of Saud's unification of the kingdom |

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1973
- **Colours:** green, white

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Saudi Arabia look like?

A green field bearing the Islamic declaration of faith in white Thuluth script, with a horizontal white sword beneath it, point toward the hoist.

### What do the colours of the Saudi Arabia flag mean?

Green: traditionally associated with Islam. White: purity; the script and the sword.

### When was the Saudi Arabia flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1973, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country/saudi-arabia/)
- [Every flag with green in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/green/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)
- [The flag of Mexico](https://atoneplace.net/flag/mexico/)
- [The flag of Ireland](https://atoneplace.net/flag/ireland/)
- [The flag of South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/flag/south-africa/)
- [The flag of Jamaica](https://atoneplace.net/flag/jamaica/)
- [The flag of Pakistan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/pakistan/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)