Mandaeans

Last modified: 2025-03-08 by rob raeside
Keywords: mandaeans |
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• Mandeans
• A proposed flag

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• Flags and Religion

Mandeans

The Mandaeans are an ethnoreligious group native to Iraq. There are between 60,000 and 100,000 Mandaeans in the world today.

Following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 most Mandaens resettled abroad – today the largest communities are found in Sweden and Australia.

Mandaeism is a Gnostic, monotheistic religion. Mandaens accept John the Baptist as God's final prophet, and ritual immersion plays a central role in their religious practice.
Dan, 13 February 2025

A proposed flag

located by Dan, 13 February 2025

This Instagram page, belonging to Arwan Ghany, a Mandean historian and activist, features a 'proposed flag of the Mandaean nation': http://bit.ly/43d9uiT

The flag comprises five horizontal stripes. The topmost and bottommost stripes are pale blue. The broad central stripe (a Spanish fess) is white and features an emblem comprising a stylised palm tree and a myrtle leaf. The symbolism is explained below.

Between the blue and white stripes are two narrow stripes of a pale green (top) and yellow (bottom).

Ghany explains the design as follows:

‘Mandaen National Flag
The proposed flag of the Mandaean nation represents the Mandaean-Mesopotamian identity, emphasizing their Iraqi roots and distinct national identity.

The meanings of the symbols and colors on the flag are as follows:

1. The palm tree, in the Mandaean faith, embodies life, knowledge, healing, and fertility. Therefore, it symbolizes the prophet Adam (blessed be his name), who is a revered figure in the Mandaean faith. The myrtle plant, an integral part of Mandaean rituals from birth to death, represents eternal life and is worn as a crown.
2. The white color expresses peace and is the color of the traditional ritual dress (Rasta) worn by Mandaeans in all their rituals.
3. The green color represents the importance of plants and nature in the Mandaean creed.
4. The blue color symbolizes the sky, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the marshes, reflecting the authenticity of the Sumerian-Mesopotamian civilization in southern Iraq.
5. The golden color, associated with the title 'Golden Nation,' indicates the purity of the Mandaeans and their creativity in the profession of goldsmithing.'