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Jordan

Al-Urdunn, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Al-Mamlakah al-Urdunniyyah al-Hāšimiyyah

Last modified: 2023-09-09 by ian macdonald
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[Jordan] 1:2 image by Željko Heimer


Official Name: المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية [Al-Mamlakah al-Urdunniyyah al-Hāšimiyyah], Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Short Form: الأردنّ [Al-Urdunn], Jordan
Capital: Amman
Flag Adopted: 16th April 1928
Coat of Arms Adopted: 25th May 1946


See also:


Description

Adopted on April 16th, 1928. The seven-pointed star refers to the first seven verses of the Quran.
David Kendall, 04 Oct 1996

From the King Hussein Official Website:

The flag symbolizes the Kingdom's roots in the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, as it is adapted from the revolt banner. The black, white and green bands represent the Arab Abbasid, Umayyad and Fatimid dynasties respectively, while the crimson triangle joining the bands represents the Hashemite dynasty. The seven-pointed Islamic star set in the center of the crimson triangle represents the unity of Arab peoples in Jordan.

Ivan Sache, 29 Dec 1998

It is not only based on the flag of the Arab Revolt of 1916. The leader of the revolt, Hussein, is the great grand-father of the today king of Jordan who is named after him. Today's king is Hussein Ib'n Talal Ib'n Abdalla Ib'n Hussein [deceased 7th February 1999]. The former Iraqi kings came from the same family [the Hashemites].
Dov Gutterman, 29 Dec 1998

I seem to recall that the seven points in the Hashemite star stand for the Fatiha, the first seven verses or Surahs of the Quran.
Santiago Dotor, 06 Nov 2000

On the seven-pointed star: Dov posted a while back that the seven points stood for the seven pillars of Islam. I questioned that on the grounds that there are only five pillars of Islam. In his coverage of Jordan, Whitney Smith's FTTAAATW say the points stand for the seven verses of the first sura of the Koran, the Fatihah, which is the most important and most often repeated of Muslim prayers:

  1. Bismi-llahi ir-rahmani ir-rahim
    (In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful)
  2. Al-hamdu li-llahi rabi il-'alamayni
    (Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,)
  3. Ir-rahmani ir-rahim
    (The compassionate, the merciful,)
  4. Maliki yawmi id-din
    (King of the day of judgment.)
  5. Iyyaka na'abudu wa-iyyaka nasta'inu
    (You alone we worship and you alone we beseech for help)
  6. Ihdina as-siratata al-mustaqimah
    (Guide us in the straight path,)
  7. Siratata al-lathinata an-'amta 'alayhim ghayri al-maghdubi 'alayhim wala ad-dallina
    (The path of those whom you have favored, not of those who have angered you and those who have gone astray.)

Joseph McMillan, 27 Jul 2005


Flag Usage

In March and April 1997 I visited Syria and Jordan. In contrast to Syria, Jordan uses a lot of flags for different purposes. This results from the long British influence there – whereas Syria was influenced by France. Another difference between Syria and Jordan is that in Syria you can find horizontally and vertically hanging flags, differing proportions of length to width, different dimensions of the stars etc., whereas in Jordan all the flags conform to certain regulations (e.g. proportions 1:2).
Marcus Schmöger, 24 Nov 1997

There seems to be no question about the national flag being used as civil ensign, according to both [Smith 1982 and [Album des Pavillons 2000. The first source also marks it as state ensign. I guess [Album des Pavillons 2000 dismissed the use as state ensign having no proof of that usage, but what do the Jordanian state-owned vessels fly? Possibly the police boats fly the blue ensign, but FotW only mentions the use of that blue flag on land.
Željko Heimer, 05 Mar 2002


National Flag at the London 2012 Olympics

The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed the flag to be.
For Jordan: PMS 485 red, 355 green and black. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012


Coat-of-Arms

[Coat-of-Arms (Jordan)] image from the King Hussein I Official Website

From the King Hussein I Official Website:

"The crown symbolizes the system of monarchy. The sash upon which the crown is placed symbolizes the Hashemite throne. Its scarlet color represents sacrifice, while the white inner background symbolizes purity.

"The two flags are the flags of the Great Arab Revolt. The eagle in the center of the coat of arms symbolizes power, might and loftiness. The eagle is perched on the globe, and his wings touch the two flags of the Great Arab Revolt. The blue color of the globe symbolizes the spread of Islam across the world.

"The bronze shield in front of the globe represents the defense of truth and right in the world. The spears, swords, bows and arrows are traditional Arab weapons.

"Below the shield to the left are three branches of wheat, and to the right is a palm branch. Stretching down from between the wheat and palm branches is the highest Jordanian medal, the decorative order of al-Nahda.

"Above the al-Nahda medal are three phrases inscribed on a golden ribbon. In the middle: King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. To the right: Al-Hussein bin Talal bin Aoun (Aoun, one of the Hashemite patriarchs, was great great-grandfather of Sherif Hussein)."

Santiago Dotor, 10 Jan 1999


National Flag Canton on the Fly?

In [Pedersen 1979 (Danish edition), Jordan's Navy, Army and Air Force flags are shown with the national flag in the upper fly, and with the triangle at the outer edge of the flag. The images made me think 'It must be a mistake. The national flag should be in the canton.' Is Pedersen mistaken, or are Jordanian flags just very odd?
Ole Andersen, 29 Apr 1998

Actually neither. We who read from left to right believe that the wind blows from left to right; at least, that's how we picture our flags. In countries where people write from right to left – in Arabic, for example – they show the flags flying from right to left. This convention is sometimes referred to as sinister hoist. Jordan's armed forces ensigns have the national flag in canton, with the triangle at hoist. Some books show such a flag with a bit of flagpole next to it, as a hint. Others don't.
John Ayer, 29 Apr 1998

I believe that that's the old problem with different tastes in representing flags in western and arabic countries. We like representing them with the hoist to the left, and they like it better the other way around. So, in our ways, the flag you describe is a mirror image of what is really flying.
Jorge Candeias, 29 Apr 1998

Jorge Candeias is exactly correct. When a Jordanian flag flies from a pole, it looks just like what we would expect: i.e. in an ensign, the national flag in the canton, next to the pole. I know this from first-hand experience: I lived in Syria for two years and visited Jordan on numerous occasions. However, when they describe it officially, they work from the fly to the hoist (i.e. backwards to us); I've always assumed that this is simply in accordance with the way people naturally do things in an Arab culture – don't forget, they read/write from right to left (which seems backwards to users of Latin scripts), as well as open books from what we would consider to be the last page/back-cover. (Hebrew, of course, is the same.) If one looks at [Smith 1975 he indicates this fact through a symbol above the Jordanian flag with the pole to the right.
Glen Robert-Grant Hodgins, 29 Apr 1998

That explanation would work, if Pedersen did not include a bit of flagpole, but he does. He explicitly shows the piece of pole to the left and the triangle to the right. So I guess he has misplaced his pole. Related to all this reading/wind direction/pole placement is the matter of crescents. The waxing moon is believed to be a good omen, while the waning moon is a bad omen. But when we have the pole on the left, we make the moon waning, or decrescent, instead of waxing, or crescent.
Ole Andersen, 30 Apr 1998


Centennial Flag

[Centennial Flag] image by Esteban Rivera, 9 January 2023
Source: https://www.jordanheritage.jo

Jordan commemorated the centennial of the foundation in modern times of the Kingdom of Jordan in 2021. A series of events was scheduled to take place between March 2021 and February 2022 (source: https://100jordan.jo/AR/Modules/Calendar)

A special official website was launched for this occasion (http://www.100jordan.jo) on February 28, 2021.

Images attached:
- Logo (cropped image from: Image on page 205 of the PDF document "The Historical Encyclopedia of the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army / History of Bravery and Sacrifices 1442 AH/2021 AD" by the "Moral Guidance Department", source: https://www.jaf.mil.jo/Assets/File/hestoryPdfEn.pdf)
- Photograph (cropped image from Image on page 208 of the PDF document "The Historical Encyclopedia of the Jordan Armed Forces- Arab Army / History of Bravery and Sacrifices 1442 AH/2021 AD" by the "Moral Guidance Department", source: https://www.jaf.mil.jo/Assets/File/hestoryPdfEn.pdf  )
[The "Moral Guidance Department" has been renamed "Military Media Directorate" (of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, (JAF) since February 1, 2022 (source:
https://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jaf-amends-title-moral-guidance-department-military-media-directorate)].

For additional information go to 100 Jordan (official website): https://100jordan.jo/
Esteban Rivera, 9 January 2023


World's Tallest Flagpole in Amman?

Here is a picture I took last October of the Jordanian flag you mention on your Flag Superlatives page. However, it seems that King Abdallah likes to erect huge flagpoles; what about the one mentioned in an article at the Debka File site:

"an enormous flag flying from a 136 meter (446 foot) – high pole."

This is even taller than 126.8m. A new record?
Jean-Francois Dal, 27 Dec 2004