The white serrated edge of Qatar’s national flag has nine points.
The serrated band separates the white hoist from the maroon fly. Qatar officially adopted the current flag on 9 July 1971, shortly before independence from the United Kingdom. Its nine points are traditionally linked with Qatar being the ninth member of the “reconciled Emirates” after the 1916 Qatar-British treaty.
Qatar’s flag is often compared with Bahrain’s because both use a white serrated band beside a red-toned field. Qatar’s field is maroon, while Bahrain’s is red, and Qatar has nine points rather than Bahrain’s five.
The maroon color is sometimes described as “Qatar maroon.” It is darker than the red used on many neighboring flags and became a particularly recognizable feature of Qatar’s national identity.