Qatar Flags – Qatari Flag, Bunting & Hand Flags

The Qatari flag: maroon and a nine-point serrated edge

Qatar’s flag is a maroon field with a broad white band at the hoist, the two joined by a serrated line of nine white points. It was adopted in its present form on 9 July 1971, shortly before independence from Britain on 3 September, though the design had been in use with minor changes since the 1930s. The maroon, which Qataris call Qatar maroon, is explained by the natural red dyes of the Gulf coast darkening in the sun, and by one account was fixed in that shade to distinguish the flag from the red of Bahrain, whose flag has the same layout with five points. The nine points are said to represent Qatar as the ninth member of the reconciled emirates of the Gulf after the 1916 treaty with Britain. The ratio is 11:28, which makes it the longest national flag relative to its height in the world, roughly 2:5 against the usual 3:5 or 1:2, and a genuine Qatar flag therefore looks noticeably narrow on a pole. Our Qatar flag is cut to the standard UK sizes with the serration and the white band in the official proportion.

18 December and the Maroons

Qatar National Day on 18 December marks the accession of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani in 1878 and brings parades along the Doha Corniche, and National Sports Day on the second Tuesday of February is the other date with flags out. Qatar’s links with Britain are close: thousands of Qatari students at British universities and the military academies, Qatari investment across London from the Shard to Harrods, Qatar Airways’ routes into every British hub and a resident British community in Doha that runs into the tens of thousands, so the flag is wanted for embassy receptions, student society dinners, corporate events and welcome displays. The Maroons, Al Annabi, won the Asian Cup in 2019 and retained it as hosts in 2024, and the country staged the 2022 World Cup, the first in the Arab world; the Qatar team bundle packs a flag, bunting and hand flags together for a supporters’ night at a saving on the separate prices. Mutaz Barshim’s shared Olympic high-jump gold in 2021, the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail, the handball team’s 2015 world final and the Doha athletics and cycling championships all put the maroon on screen.

Picking a size and grade

The Qatar flag is held in 20x12in, 3ft x 2ft, 5ft x 3ft and 8ft x 5ft. Flagtex is a printed woven polyester, economical for a reception, a stand or a few weeks outside; DuraFlag is the knitted heavyweight with a double-stitched edge for a flag that flies all year. 5ft x 3ft is the pole and building-front size, 3ft x 2ft the window or wall bracket, 8ft x 5ft the stage or hall backdrop, and 20x12in the car or hand pole. Both have a sewn header with brass eyelets; the DuraFlag can be ordered with clips or rope and toggle.

Qatar bunting

Qatar bunting comes in 3m and 9m lengths of rectangular polyester pennants printed with the maroon and white, sewn to a tape. 3m dresses a reception desk or a doorway; 9m runs round a majlis tent, an exhibition stand or a hall for National Day. It stands up to rain over a courtyard, and two or three lengths tie together for a long run. Plain maroon and white from the bunting range match it.

Hand flags and table flags

Qatar hand flags on wooden sticks come in 9x6in and 18x12in for receptions, the fan zone and airport welcomes. The Qatar table flag is a 6x4in flag on a base for a desk, the 9x6in wooden table flag and the 18x12in large wooden table flag suit a boardroom or a stand, and the sleeved satin table flag is for a formal table. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman are under world flags.

Qatari flag FAQs

Popular in this collection

• Qatar Flag (20x12in to 8x5ft, 2 grades)from £6.99
• Qatar Team Bundle (flag, bunting, hand flags)from £14.99
• Qatar Bunting (3m or 9m)from £9.98
• Qatar Hand Flagsfrom £5.99
• Qatar Table Flag with Basefrom £1.98
• Qatar Large Wooden Table Flagfrom £3.98