Emir Abdelkader Wanted To Unify Algerians Under “A State Flag”, Not “A Tribal Flag”

Echorouk obtained a document that summarizes the artistic and historical study made by the Syrian archaeologist Fayez Sweid for the scenes pictured in the library of Emir Abdelkader al-Jazairi in his house in the Damascus Al-Jawani building.

The document, in the possession of Echorouk, highlights Emir Abdelkader’s interest in bringing together Damascus and Algeria, from which he was exiled by French colonialism, as he carried Algeria in the pictures found in his home and library.

Perhaps the most important thing that the document under study reveals is the flag of Emir Abdelkader, as the researcher explained that it is very close to the current Algerian flag, which reflects the patriotic sense of the Emir who wanted to unite all the tribes in that period under the banner of one Algerian state that was his project.

Regarding the photographs included in the study, the document says that these scenes “represent a specific political era that extended from the moment of the occupation of Algeria to the departure of the Emir, and this is confirmed by the flags, banners, and leaflets”.

It represents a very important document about historical events, Emir Abdelkader wanted to collect all events with several scenes, as we see many flags and multiple banners, and that he highlighted the most prominent exploits of the Ottomans; Under the religious relationship, unlike the French, and his relationship at that time with Sultan Abdülmecid I was rather good; Therefore, we see many of the flags representing the Ottomans, which in their entirety are red coloured, the star, and the crescent”, the document added.

“The buildings, palaces and mosques have a direct relationship to political events, as we see the flags and banners are varied within nature in one pattern, and they differ sometimes, and these flags and banners are placed on these buildings, and therefore we have to analyze some of the banners and the flags to know their content”.

Emir Abdelkader’s flag, which was subject to historical study according to the document, is represented by a green line from the bottom, top, and the middle, and white ground, and it has a crescent and a star in red colour, and this flag has many indications because it is located on a high mast and a large building, especially since the green colour has no relation with the Ottoman heritage, and this building may be the mosque of allegiance because it is very similar to the current mosque and because the nature that depicts the high mountains, which overlooks the plains and coasts, we see it very close to the city of Oran. This flag refers to a specific historical stage after the Ottomans in Algeria, while the Ottoman Sultanate period was carrying a red flag entirely with a crescent in its centre, and the star was devoid of white and green between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, and this flag belonged to the Emir Abdelkader’s state (1832-1847).

According to the document, Emir Abdelkader wanted through his flag to gather all Algerian tribes not under his flag, but under one flag for all Algerians, and for the flag or banner that share the Islamic identity is represented by the crescent, the star, and the two green lines that are a symbol of giving, jihad, blessing, and there is something extremely important is the great similarity between the current flag of Algeria and the flag placed on a big high mast.

It states that the one who designed “the Algerian flag after independence that was waved in the protests in 1945 designed it on specific foundations, relying on the flag of Emir Abdelkader through the green colour, and introduced the symbolism of the North African star in addition to the crescent, and what symbolizes the Islamic dimension of Algeria. This flag was used for the first time in an official capacity in 1962.

The researcher concludes that the designer of the Algerian national flag is like Emir Abdelkader, took upon himself the religious, intellectual, and patriotic dimension and made it into a single patriotic container with the flag of Emir Abdelkader.

The researcher concluded that the scenes depicted from the prince’s house and library reveal the man’s genius and his openness to cultures within “balanced frameworks without exaggeration, so we notice that he respected the Islamic religion by prohibiting the depiction of human drawings, as it gave the national, historical and artistic dimension in balance. After archaeological inspection, it was found that it dates back to the period between 1855-1890.