UAE marks 10th Flag Day on Thursday

Residents, schools and government institutions across the UAE marked the 10th Flag Day at 11:00 am on Thursday.

The UAE national anthem was played at the start of the celebrations and the colours of the national flag were seen across the skies "as a symbol of pride, allegiance, and loyalty".

Taking to his official Twitter handle, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said the UAE flag narrates the "story of a wise leadership and a nation that achieves the impossible".

The UAE flag rises with pride, narrating the story of a wise leadership and a nation that achieves the impossible. Today, and everyday, we unite to raise our flag, our symbol of pride and determination.#UAEFlagDay pic.twitter.com/w9m2P0nuPv

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 3, 2022

Flag Day is celebrated on November 3 every year to mark the accession of Sheikh Khalifa as President in 2004.

Earlier in a Tweet, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, highlighted that the UAE Flag Day is about national pride.

"The UAE flag is a symbol of our unity and sovereignty," he wrote.

٣ نوفمبر القادم تحتفل دولتنا بيوم العلم، ندعو كافة وزاراتنا ومؤسساتنا لرفعه بشكل موحد الساعة 11 صباحاً في ذلك اليوم. سيبقى علمنا مرفوعاً .. سيبقى رمز عزتنا ووحدتنا خفاقاً .. ستبقى راية عزنا ومجدنا وسيادتنا عالية في سماء الإنجاز والولاء والوفاء .. pic.twitter.com/eLmH90j5Ae

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) October 28, 2022

Abdullah Al Maainah came up with the design in 1971 as part of a competition run by Al Ittihad newspaper.

The four colours represent Arab unity, as described in poetry written by Safi-u-ddin Al Hali.

His design was chosen from more than 1,000 entries submitted as part of a nationwide contest in a local newspaper.