For Saudi National Day 2023, interior ministry issues etiquette list for honouring the flag, including a ban on using it with animals

Ahead of Saudi National Day 2023, Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has said the kingdom's national flag must not be used as a tool for tying or carrying things, or placed on animals.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab Staff

22 September, 2023

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Interior has issued official guidelines on how to respect the Saudi national flag, highlighting some prohibitions some of which carry the risk of criminal prosecution.

Posting on Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter, the ministry said that as a sign of national sovereignty, the flag must be treated with patriotic reverence.

Among the rules listed by the ministry were prohibitions on using the flag on animals, as a trademark or for commercial purposes, as a tool for tying or carrying, or for any other way that may "disrespect or damage it".

محظورات استخدام العلَم الوطني وأنواعه.#اليوم_الوطني_السعودي_93 #نحلم_ونحقق pic.twitter.com/EDJS3DeO4N
— وزارة الداخلية (@MOISaudiArabia) September 21, 2023

The flag should also not be hoisted upside down, in a faded or damaged condition or on the bodies of animals, the ministry said.

The infographic detailing the rules also highlighted that no changes must be made to the flag, including adding phrases or drawings, or decorating the edges.]

Key dates in the formation of Saudi Arabia

1902: Ibn Saud captures Riyadh, ending his family's exile in Kuwait and beginning of a three-decade conquest of Arabia

1912: The Ikhwan, a religious militia founded on the principles of Wahhabism, provide key support for Ibn Saud

1921: The Ottoman Empire collapses

1924-25: Ibn Saud takes control of Najd and the Hijaz, including the two holy cities of Makkah and Madinah

1927-30: The Ikhwan, seeking to expand Wahhabism further across Arabia, revolt against Ibn Saud.

1930: The last Ikhwan leaders surrend to the British, marking their defeat

Ibn Saud declares the lands under his control as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The ministry's post comes as the kingdom prepares to celebrate Saudi National Day on 23 September, commemorating the day when the Kingdom of Nejd and Hijaz was officially declared the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

This year's national day, the kingdom's 93rd, will focus heavily on the country's effort to achieve its ambitious Vision 2030 economic overhaul plan.