The cedar tree has long been a symbol of Lebanon, with its roots tracing back to the 18th century when it became emblematic of the
Maronites, an
Eastern Catholic community originating from the
Levant. The first recorded use of the Maronite flag – a white field charged with a green cedar tree – was in October 1848, reflecting the cedar's growing significance as a national symbol.
Early national consciousness (1907–1913) . is in the window while Shukri Bakhash is in the front row, second from right (1914). The development of a Lebanese flag emerged from growing national consciousness in the early 20th century. At this point in history, Mount Lebanon was a semi-autonomous district (
Mutasarrifate) under the Ottoman Empire. Despite the empire's overarching rule, local councils such as the
Administrative Council of Mount Lebanon were pushing for more autonomy and recognition of the unique sociopolitical and religious identity of Mount Lebanon's primarily Christian population – particularly the Maronites. In Mount Lebanon, members of the Administrative Council began pursuing a "Lebanese policy" to achieve greater sovereignty of the
Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate within the Ottoman Empire. In 1907, , a
Lebanese Brazilian journalist, proposed in "Les Trésors cachés du Liban" that Lebanon could add a cedar branch to the Ottoman flag as recognition of Lebanese privileges. The
Committee for the Defense of Lebanese Interests emphasized Lebanon's "distinct personality" from Syria, citing centuries of historical privileges that neither Arab invasion nor Turkish domination could eliminate. In 1913, El Khoury, publishing from Brazil in his journal
Le Sphynge, proposed a white flag with a central cedar, which was adopted by Lebanese emigrants in America and consequently presented to
Allied Powers representatives.
Post-Ottoman period and French Mandate (1918–1943) and prime minister
Khaled Chehab during an official celebration at the
Martyrs' Square, Beirut (1938) When
World War I ended in 1918, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, creating a power vacuum in the Levant. Allied Powers, notably France and Britain, established mandates over former Ottoman territories in accordance to the
Sykes–Picot Agreement. Lebanon fell under the French Mandate, fueling debates among Lebanese communities: some advocated complete independence, others favored strong ties to France based on historical and religious connections, while some advocated for a union with Syria – a position considered extreme by some. Moreover, the political spectrum in Lebanon during this period was broad, with significant portions of the population holding differing views. Most
Lebanese Muslims, along with members of the
Druze and
Greek Orthodox communities, generally retained a commitment to Arab unity in some form. Many acknowledged Lebanon's unique role in the
Arab world, shaped by its confessional diversity, commercial importance, and relatively small size. In the aftermath of the Allied victory in 1918, Shukri El Khoury modified his 1913 proposal, incorporating elements of the French tricolor by adding red and blue triangles on the left side of the white flag with a central cedar. In an editorial, he described the cedar as making the flag's beauty "more radiant," with the new colors borrowed from the French tricolor representing Lebanon's attachment to France as its "liberator and zealous guardian of independence". On the other hand,
Rachid Nakhle, a poet and journalist, recorded that the plain white flag with a green cedar flew at the
Seraglio of Baabda, then capital of the autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, from 2 November 1918 until May 1919. Lebanese communities abroad, influenced by the shifting global political landscape and diplomatic pressures, adopted the French flag's colors. By July 1919, French Consul Jean Brillouin in
Santiago de Cuba reported to the
French Foreign Minister Stephen Pichon that Lebanese communities there were advocating for a French protectorate over Lebanon, separate from Syria, and proposed a national flag consisting of the French flag with a central cedar. The same design was adopted by the Lebanese community in Sydney as of November 1918. In May 1919,
Naoum Mokarzel, the New York-based owner of
al-Hoda newspaper and president of the
Lebanese League of Progress, wrote to Patriarch
Elias Peter Hoayek, head of the second Lebanese delegation to the
Paris Peace Conference, assuring him that "the goal of the majority of Lebanese outside Lebanon is the independence of Lebanon within its ancient natural and historical borders with a national flag." Moukarzel later specified that "the Lebanese flag will be of the same colors as the French flag with emblematic cedar on the white...". Later that year, in October 1919, the Lebanese delegation, led by Maronite Patriarch Hoayek, presented their aspirations for independence in a memorandum to the Paris Peace Conference. During the conference, Mokarzel proposed the tricolor flag to French President
Raymond Poincaré, who enthusiastically embraced the idea. The design later became the official flag of Lebanon under the
League of Nations. The choice of the French tricolor with a cedar faced opposition in Lebanon. In May 1919, Lebanese Christians, feeling threatened by a
Hashemite takeover, intensified advocacy for independence.
Emir Faisal (later Faisal I of Iraq) was a member of the Hashemite family – leaders of the
Arab Revolt against the Ottomans during World War I. He was supported by the British and sought to establish an
Arab kingdom encompassing Syria (including modern-day Lebanon). The Administrative Council of Mount Lebanon, municipalities, and Maronite clergy protested the plan, and led a movement, displaying the white flag with a cedar to symbolize their desire for a distinct Lebanese identity, and the creation of an independent
Greater Lebanon. This shift reflected growing anxiety over France's perceived hesitation to support Lebanon's nationalists. On 4 June, crowds protested in front the
Seraglio of Baabda against the rapprochement between Faisal and the French. Christian crowds chanted anti-French slogans and flew a flag with a cedar on a white background. A French official intervened to remove the flag to avoid incidents, and the Lebanese press was consequently censored. French priorities did not appear to correspond to those of the Lebanese nationalists, and
François Georges-Picot, a French diplomat who negotiated the
Sykes-Picot Agreement to
partition the Ottoman Empire, declared: "If the Lebanese want complete independence, let them stop demanding Greater Lebanon and be content with Little Lebanon." The white cedar flag was especially flown in the
Batroun and
Keserwan districts, regions with strong Maronite communities that had previously supported French annexation or protectorate but now sought greater independence. On 8 March 1920, the
Syrian National Congress in Damascus declared Syria's independence within its natural borders, while also recognizing Lebanese national aspirations for independence within its existing borders, on the condition that Lebanon remains free from foreign influence. The Congress also crowned Faisal
King of Syria, a short-lived monarchy that further alarmed Lebanese Christian communities. This proclamation had a profound impact in Lebanon, leading many Lebanese to believe that France was aligning with Emir Faisal and potentially abandoning its support for Lebanese independence, which heightened tensions and mistrust between the Lebanese population and French authorities. In this uncertain situation, and to address the growing mistrust between the Lebanese population and France, the Administrative Council, in coordination with the French authorities, decided to take action. On 22 March 1920, a demonstration to counter the Syrian Congress of Damascus was organized in the seraglio of Baabda, where demonstrators raised the cedar-bearing tricolor flag featuring a cedar tree demanding "the affirmation of the union of Lebanon with France, consecrated by the choice, as a national emblem, of the tricolor flag with the Cedar in a white band." This flag was officially adopted on 23 May 1926, as described in Article 5 of the Lebanese Constitution: "The Lebanese flag is blue, white, and red in vertical bands of equal width, with a cedar on the white part." Although the constitution did not specify the cedar's color, most contemporary depictions showed it as green with a brown trunk. File:Flag of Lebanon (1918-1920).svg| Flag used by Lebanese Maronites in the 19th century, and first raised as a Lebanese flag in 1918 (1918–1920) File:Flag of Lebanon (1918-1920; variant).svg| () Flag used by Lebanese Maronites in the 19th century, and first raised as a Lebanese flag in 1918 (1918–1920; variant) File:Flag of Lebanon (Shukri El Khoury's proposal).svg| 's proposed flag featuring red and blue triangles added to honor the French mandate (1918) File:Flag of Lebanon (1920-1943).svg| Flag of the
State of Greater Lebanon during the French mandate (1920–1943) File:Flag_of_Lebanon_during_French_Mandate_(1920-1943).svg| () Flag of the
State of Greater Lebanon during the French mandate (1920–1943; variant)
Republic of Lebanon (1943–present) , left, kissing the new flag of Lebanon, and
Sabri Hamadeh on the right (1943) During
World War II,
Vichy French authorities allowed
Germany to move aircraft and supplies through Syria and Lebanon. In response, British troops moved into the region, and by late 1941, the
Free French government supported Lebanese independence. Elections were held in 1943, and in November of that year, the newly formed Lebanese government unilaterally abolished the French mandate. In reaction, French authorities briefly imprisoned key government leaders, including President
Bechara El Khoury, Prime Minister
Riad Al Solh, and several ministers. Under international pressure, France eventually agreed to Lebanon's independence weeks later. The Lebanese flag emerged during this period of political tension. Accounts of the flag's creation vary, with different figures claiming credit for its design. On 11 November 1943, seven members of parliament managed to meet in the French-occupied Parliament and hastily devised a colored version of the flag, preserving the cedar as a national symbol. The flag was formally introduced into the Lebanese Constitution on 7 December 1943, with its composition specified as three horizontal stripes (red, white, and red) and a cedar tree occupying one-third of the white stripe.
Henri Pharaon, a member of parliament, claimed that he proposed the flag's design. According to Pharaon, the Muslim elected officials initially proposed four colors – green, white, red, and black – based on the
pan-Arab colors, while the Christian representatives demanded a single color with the cedar in the center. Drawing on his Austrian connections as a former consul for the
Austro-Hungarian Empire and founder of the Austro-Lebanese Friendship Association, Pharaon suggested using the
Austrian flag as a model, with its red and white horizontal stripes, and placing a green cedar tree in the center. This proposal was reportedly assisted by
Saadi Al Munla and Mohamad Al Fadl. The original drawing of the flag, signed by the seven parliament members, was executed by Al Munla. The seven MPs – , Mohamad Al Fadl, Rachid Baydoun,
Sabri Hamadeh, Henri Pharaon, Saadi Al Munla, and
Saeb Salam – entered Parliament despite the French blockade, finalized the design with colored pencils, and adopted it as the national flag. Ten days later, Lebanon achieved independence.
Pierre Gemayel, leader of the
Kataeb Party, offered a different account. He asserted that his party conceived the flag's design, which was later adopted by the government. According to Gemayel, on the morning of 11 November 1943, he presented a drawing of the new flag to members of parliament and urged them to formally adopt it. Gemayel reportedly consulted
Maurice Chehab, director of antiquities of Lebanon, who advised that the flag's design should reflect Lebanon's traditions. Chehab suggested combining the colors red and white, representing the historical conflict between the Qaysi and Yamani factions, with the cedar tree as a unifying national symbol. Gemayel also enlisted Sami Dahdah to draw the new flag, which was then sewn by the wife of Felix Hobeyka. ( 1950–1951) The Lebanese flag was first raised in
Bechamoun on 21 November 1943 at 11:20 pm. In 1979, the
Minister of National Education,
Boutros Harb, declared 21 November as
National Flag Day. From 1943 to 1990, the cedar tree on the flag was depicted naturalistically with a brown trunk, as seen in versions registered with the WIPO and on official postcards of the United Nations. On 21 September 1990, the Lebanese government standardized the cedar's color to entirely green, replacing the earlier depiction. Discussions at the 16th
FIAV meeting in
Warsaw suggested that the previous design had become too strongly linked to the
Lebanese Forces, a faction from the
Lebanese Civil War. The updated, all-green cedar may have been intended as a more inclusive and neutral symbol. File:Lebanese flag (cropped).JPG|Flag as drawn and approved by the members of the parliament during the declaration of independence (1943) File:Flag of Lebanon (1943-1990).svg| Flag of Lebanon (1943–1990) File:Flag of Lebanon, 1943–1990 (WIPO).jpg| Design stored at
WIPO (1943–1990) File:Flag of Lebanon.svg|Flag of Lebanon (1990–present) File:Flag of Lebanon, 1995 (variant).jpg| Common variant of the flag of Lebanon (1990–present) File:Flag of Lebanon vertical (1).png| Vertical flag of Lebanon ==Gallery==