Country profile: Morocco

For several centuries, Morocco used a plain red flag, the colour of the Alaouite dynasty, which has ruled the country since the 17th century. This plain flag, easily confused with others at sea, made it difficult to identify Moroccan ships.

By a dahir (royal decree) of 17 November 1915, Sultan Moulay Youssef added to the centre of the flag a green five-pointed star made of interlaced lines, the Seal of Solomon. Morocco was then a French protectorate, but the flag remained the emblem of the Sultan and of the Sharifian Empire.

This flag became that of independent Morocco in 1956. The Constitution of 2011 enshrines it in Article 4: ‘The emblem of the Kingdom is the red flag bearing in its centre a green five-pointed star.’

The elements of the Moroccan flag are generally interpreted as follows:

• Red: the colour of the Alaouite dynasty, which descends from the Prophet Muhammad; it also evokes bravery and the blood shed for the homeland.
• Green: the colour traditionally associated with Islam.
• Five-pointed star: the Seal of Solomon, an ancient symbol of wisdom and protection. Its five points are often associated with the five pillars of Islam.

The star on the Moroccan flag is not a solid star: it is formed of five interlaced green lines, like a pentagram, which gives it its distinctive appearance.

During the Green March in November 1975, some 350,000 Moroccans crossed the border into Western Sahara, then under Spanish administration, carrying the national flag and the Quran.

In the north of the country, the zone under Spanish protectorate between 1912 and 1956 used a separate flag, before the red flag with the green star became that of the whole kingdom on independence.