^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Bahrain

Kingdom of Bahrain, Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn

3:5|
image by Pascal Gross

Official Name: مملكة البحرين [Mamlakat al-Baḥrayn], Kingdom of Bahrain
Short Form: البحرين‎ [al-Baḥrayn], Bahrain
Capital: Manama
Location: Middle East
Government Type: Constitutional Monarchy
Flag Adopted: 14 Feb 2002
Coat of Arms Adopted: 1932
ISO Code: BH BHR 048
FIPS 10-4 Code: BA
MARC Code: ba
IOC Code: BRN
Risk of confusion with: Qatar

Description
Flag Legislation
National Flag at the London 2012 Olympics
Construction Sheet
Coat of Arms
Muharram Flag

See also:

Flags of Neighboring Countries:
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
League of Arab States (Arab League)
General Maritime Treaty (1820) (on the origin of the Bahrain flag)

Description

Adopted: 14 Feb 2002
Proportions: 3:5
Description: Red flag with a white stripe at host limited by a serration (i.e. a zigzag) made of five white triangles.
Use: on land, national, civil and war flag, at sea, national, civil and war ensign.
Colours (approximate specifications, as given in Album des Pavillons [pay00]): Red: Pantone 186 c / CMYK (%) C 0 – M 90 – Y 80 – K 5

Flag Legislation

On 14 February 2002, the Emir of Bahrain declared his country a kingdom and himself a king. According to the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bahrain, state symbols would be defined by the special laws.
Jan Zrzavy, 15 Feb 2002

HM the King, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, issued Decree by Law No. (4) for 2002, which included the following articles:

Article 1: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall take a rectangular shape, and shall be divided into two main sections; the first in red, and the other in white color.
Article II: HM the King shall have his own flag, for which a royal order shall be issued to determine its shape, measures, and places.
Article III: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted on the Royal Court, Palaces, governmental buildings, public establishments, embassies, Bahraini bureaus abroad, and Bahraini ships.
Article IV: Each non-Bahraini ship entering the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall hoist the Flag of the Kingdom, and shall keep the flag hoisted till it departs from the territorial waters of the Kingdom.
Article V: The Flag shall be hoisted on governmental buildings, public institutions during public holidays and occasions from sun-rise to sun-set.
Article VI: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be hoisted on vehicles, except on the official protocol vehicles.
Article VII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall be hoisted half mast at the state of mourning.
Article VIII: The Flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain shall not be used for commercial purposes.
Article IX: In case the Flag is used otherwise, and not as stipulated in the above law, a punishment of one month of imprisonment as a maximum, or a fine not exceeding than BD 100, or both shall be inflicted.
Article X: The Prime Minister shall issue a decree on the regulatory rules of the Flag.
Article XI: The Prime Minister shall implement the rules of this law, which shall be valid as from its publication in the Official Gazette.

Source: BNA, Bahraini Ministry of Information website, Feb 16 2002
Christian Berghänel, 18 Feb 2002

According to the Bahrain Tribune, the national flag was slightly changed, so that there are now "five triangles representing the five pillars of Islam." Previously, there were more "triangles" in the serration.
Jan Oskar Engene, 18 Feb 2002

The ratio of the national flag was changed from de facto 2:3 to prescribed 3:5. The unserrated flag was abandoned alltogether. Until now it was legal and theoretically a valid national flag.
Željko Heimer, 18 Feb 2002

A few items about flags found here and there in Arab newspapers and websites:
Since 25th May 2011 the six GCC countries decide to fly the GCC flag alongside their national flags according to the decision by the origanization.
News with/without pictures, from Arabic websites (can be translated!):
Bahrain: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/bahrain/bahrain-to-fly-gcc-flag-alongside-its-own-1.811541
Kuwait: http://alwatan.kuwait.tt/ArticleDetails.aspx?Id=113125
Oman: http://www.arrouwad.net/news/2011-01-17-21-12-19/2011-01-17-21-16-01/6324-2011-05-25-23-45-28.html
Qatar: http://www.alarab.com.qa/details.php?docId=189552&issueNo=1257&secId=16
Saudi Arabia: http://www.aleqt.com/2011/05/25/article_542200.html
UAE: http://www.alittihad.ae/details.php?id=50338&y=2011
Various pictures: http://www.3rabpet.com/vb/showthread.php?t=310995&page=1
Jalal Muhammed, 11 February 2012

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 Bahrein: PMS 485 red. The vertical version is simply the flag turned through 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012

Construction Sheet

image by Željko Heimer

Source: Bahraini Ministry of Information website.

Coat of Arms

image by Eugene Ipavec, 06 March 2012

Muharram Flag

image by James Dignan, 19 Feb 2011

News coverage of funerals following the street protests in Bahrain have shown an unusual flag - plain green bordered in red. Does anyone know what it is or represents?
James Dignan, 19 Feb 2011

My guess would be it is a Bahraini Shi'a flag, either religious or political.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 19 Feb 2011

Hello, I'm from Bahrain and I just would like you to know that, this flag has nothing to do with Bahrain. It's religious. Related to Muharram.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alam [I think he would refer to this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muharram. Ed.]
Khalid Ali Haji, 03 August 2013