Flag of Qatar

Nine serrated edges separate the coloured and white portions. They signify Qatar's inclusion as the ninth member state of the Emirates of Trucial Oman after Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain at the conclusion of the Qatari-British treaty in 1916.[5]

In 2012, the Qatari government defined the exact shade of the Qatari flag as Pantone 1955 C, or 'Qatar maroon'.[6][7][8] The history of purple dye in the country dates back several centuries.[4] It has been asserted that Qatar was the site of the earliest known production of shellfish dye during the rule of the Kassites due to the presence of a purple dye industry on Al Khor Islands.[9][10] Qatar was also known for its production of purple dye during the rule of the Sasanian Empire.[11] Mohammed bin Thani, who ruled from 1847 to 1876, proposed the creation of a flag with a purple-red colour in order to unify the state, and to highlight its historic role in the production of dye. In 1932, the British Navy suggested an official flag should be designed. According to the Qatari government, the British proposed that the flag be white and red, but Qatar rejected the red colouring and continued using a mixture of purple and red instead.[4] According to letters from the British political agent in the Persian Gulf to British India, the white cloth was purchased in Bahrain and was originally dyed red locally. The locally purchased dye was of poor quality that faded rapidly, causing the flag to take a chocolate colour.[12] Due to the country's subtropical desert climate, the flag's colours were prone to be tinted darker by the sun, which resulted in the eventual adoption of a maroon colouring in 1936.[4] The white portion of the flag symbolises the peace procured from signing anti-piracy treaties with the British.[3]