Mahra Sultanate of Qishn and Socotra (Protectorate of South Arabia, Yemen)

Mahra State

Last modified: 2021-08-25 by ian macdonald
Keywords: protectorate of south arabia | mahra | qishn | socotra | banu afrar | crescent (black) | star (black) |
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image by Ivan Sache

• Description of the flag
• Socotra in the Book of All Kingdoms, Late 14th Century
• Flag of the Banu Afrar dynasty
• Earlier (undated) flag of Socotra island

• Protectorate of South Arabia
• Yemen

Description of the flag

The flag shown on the postage stamps issued by the State is 1:2, horizontally divided green-white-red with a black crescent and star in the white stripe, slightly shifted to the hoist.
Ivan Sache, after a scan of a stamp by Mike Oettle, 5 January 2002

According to Carr's Flags of the World([car61]), "The flag of the Mahri Sultanate ... does duty as the Sultan's Standard."
Santiago Dotor, 8 May 2003

Socotra in the Book of All Kingdoms, Late 14th Century

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 08 December 2007

The 83rd flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of All Kingdoms [f0fXX] is attributed to "Sicroca", i.e. Socotra.
This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustrated transcription [f0f05], a red flag yellow arabic letters, in the ogival default shape of this source. The exact shape of the letters, as depicted in [f0f05], seems to be bogus, or at least severely misshapen. (This flag differs in detail from both #82 and #23, though they all are red with yellow Arabic letters.)
The anonymous author of [f0fXX] describes the flag thusly: «un pendón bermejo con letras arábigas.» (=«a red flag with Arabic letters.», as translated in [f0f12].) According to the 1912 illustrated transcription in English [f0f12] of Hakluyt Society (#73 on plate 16 between p.40-41), the manuscript "S" [f0fXXs] shows this flag just like [f0f05].
António Martins-Tuválkin, 08 December 2007

Flag of the Banu Afrar dynasty

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 09 December 2007

Ratio 2:3
Adopted: ?
Abolished: 1967

The Banu Afrar of Mahra (Quisn) and Socotra, used red flag with the name in white (Afrar government)
Source: The Flag Bulletin [tfb] (communicated by Harald Müller)
Jaume Ollé, 9 February 1997

This Wikipedia page is a nice "External links" addition. It includes the Arabic word "ʕfrar" "عفرار", which is shown in the pre-1967 flag . The other word is said to mean "government", in Arabic "حكومة" "ħkumẗ", which does look like the first word on the flag.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 09 December 2007

Earlier (undated) flag of Socotra Island

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 09 December 2007

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 09 December 2007

Ratio 2:3
Adopted: 1886 ?
Abolished: ?

The text on the flag says Socotra.
Dov Gutterman, 20 May 2001