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What’s the story behind the #Libyan flag? It was introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of #Libya, founded upon the #Sanusiyya religious order which itself was founded by #Algerian Muhammad ibn Ali as-Sanussi.
In 1913, Libya was stamped as al-hukuma Sanussiya, or the Sanussi government, until the Italians took over. Of the most famous Sanussi shuyukh is Omar al-Mukhtar who fought Italian occupation. The Sanussi banner was raised after Cyrenaica broke away from Italian rule.
Itching closer to Libyan independence, a Committee made up of representatives from all three regions ( #Tripolitania, #Cyrenaica, and the #Fezzan) discussed resolutions.
A member of the Cyrenaican delegation proposed a federal constitution, a monarchial form of state, and rule under Emir Sayyid Muhammad Idris al-Mahdi al-Sanussi.
Idris I became the first king of Libya in 1951. Vice President of the National Assembly and distinguished member of the Cyrenaican delegation Omar Fayek Shennib from Derna designed the flag. It represents the monarchy established after independence.
The new flag, otherwise identical to the one representing the Emirate of Cyrenaica and Sanussi banner, has an additional red and green stripe.
Gaddafi spent decades trying to present himself as the legitimate culmination of Libyan resistance. The current Libyan flag as a post-humous emblem of the Sanussi monarchy was used by the people against Gaddafi, whose flag was all green.
Gaddafi’s flag alone was an attempt to erase Libyan history, albeit this history itself being bigger than Cyrenaica represented by the Sanussi banner. Gaddafi’s plain green flag deprived of historic symbolism was a first of its kind in the history of vexillology.
During the 2011 uprising, the green flag was buried. The monarchy flag returned, but not all supporters of the revolution agreed with changing FB profile pictures to this tri-colored cloth. They wanted instead to use Omar al-Mukhtar, something more Libyans could get behind.
Regardless, it made an official comeback.
