On Friday 22 May 2015 a unified Yemen – and its flag – will celebrate their silver jubilee.
Twenty-five years ago the new country needed a flag and, like many of its Arab neighbours, drew inspiration from the Arab Liberation Flag.
First used in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the Arab Liberation Flag forms the basis of several national flags: Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and Syria.
For Yemen, the colours of its horizontal red-white-black tricolour evoke respectively: unity and the blood of martyrs, a bright future, and the dark past.
Unsurprisingly, the flags of North and South Yemen heavily influence the flag of the unified state.
The flag of North Yemen differs only in its central green five-pointed star.
Green is the colour of Islam, and the other pan-Arab colour.
The flag of South Yemen differs only in its angled five-pointed red star within a sky-blue chevron at the hoist.
The red star symbolised the Yemeni Socialist Party.
Author: Alex Crouch, Flag Institute accredited journalist 2015/16.
