On the occasion of UAE’s Flag Day on November 3, the nation remembers with pride Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainahm, who designed the national flag as a 19-year old in a countrywide competition
On December 2, it will be exactly 50 years since the UAE flag was first hoisted to mark the country’s union.
On the occasion of UAE’s Flag Day on November 3, the nation remembers with pride Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainahm, who designed the national flag – the symbol of the country’s unity, pride and dignity – as a 19-year old, a in the Khaleej Times says.
The young lad’s design was chosen from among more than 1,030 entries submitted as part of a nationwide contest.
Later, the winning flag was raised on December 2, 1971 — the Foundation Day of the UAE.
Five decades later, memories of the historic occasion remain as fresh as ever in his mind. Al Maainah, who has travelled around the world as the UAE’s ambassador to several foreign missions, cherishes the honour bestowed on him by the country’s wise and visionary leadership for his design of the flag.
But he recalls, he only came to know that his design had been selected when he saw the flag fluttering at Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi.
Five decades later, memories of the historic occasion remain as fresh as ever in his mind. Al Maainah, who has travelled around the world as the UAE’s ambassador to several foreign missions, cherishes the honour bestowed on him by the country’s wise and visionary leadership for his design of the flag.
“It was an overwhelming feeling. All of us were happy because we had unified as one country. However, I was overjoyed the most,” says the veteran diplomat, as he recalls how he found out about the contest just three days before the contest closed
“One of the arrangements related to declaring the establishment of the UAE at that time was to design a flag for it. A committee was formed to look into the matter and an advertisement was put out in the Al Ittihad newspaper inviting submissions from various artists,” he reminisced.
Al Maainah stumbled upon the advertisement just three days before the deadline was to expire.
“It was a race against time, as I didn’t have any drawing tools or colouring pencils. I rushed out to get them and worked all night to come up with the design. It was a happy feeling staying awake for the sake of designing the flag for my beloved country,” he added.
Only two flags were raised on December 2, 1971, to mark the formation of the nation – one in Abu Dhabi, the other at Union House in Dubai
The veteran diplomat says the colours of the flag were not chosen randomly.
“Every colour has an innate meaning. White symbolises peace, goodness and purity, black represents solidarity, green stands for hope, prosperity and development while red denotes bravery and courage,” he adds.
Later, he was awarded 4,000 riyals as prize money, as the UAE dirham was yet to be introduced as the legal tender.
“The UAE flag has a special place in our hearts as it’s a symbol of the independence and sovereignty of our country. As an Emirati, I’m very happy to see UAE residents from different nationalities join the Flag Day celebrations on November 3 to renew their allegiance, love and dedication to the country,” he added.
On Tuesday, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, urged the people to mark the UAE Flag Day on Wednesday (November 3).
This will be the ninth time that the annual celebration will take place.
However, this year’s Flag Day will be particularly special, coming just weeks before the UAEs Golden Jubilee celebrations on December 2.
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