The colour quartet of four, green, white, black and red is a special Arabian colours symbol, the Panarabian colours. The (Pan)Arabian colours were officially introduced by the Sheriff Hussein of Mekka – of the lineage of the Hashemides – as colours of the Arabian Movement during the First World War at the secession of the Kingdom of Hedjas from the Ottoman Empire. The flag of Hedjas served as pattern. The colours have the following meaning: Red is the colour of Omar, the second calif; white stands for the Omajiades, a calif-dynasty, which goes back to the fifth calif Moawija I.; green stands for the Fatimides, a ismailitic-shiit calif-dynasty, which goes back to the fourth calif Ali; and black stands for the Abbasides, a calif-dynasty, which goes back to the calif Abbas I. Red is also the colour of the Hashemides, an Arabian sovereign-dynasty, which probably goes back to Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf, the grandfather of Mohammed. Green is in addition generally the colour of Islam, and does not refer only to the Arabian countries. The in 1921 introduced flag of Jordan resembles the flag of the Arabian revolt against the Turks, however in changed arrangement of the colours, namely horizontal black, white and green. On 16th of April in 1928 was added a seven-jagged white star, symbolizing the seven basic suras of the islamic believe, which initiate the Koran. The seven jags stand even for the seven provinces of "Great Syria", which claim the Hashemites. Great Syria involves the Hedjas and the today's states Jordan, Syria and Iraq. The Arab Legion was founded in today's Jordan in 1916. It united the anti-Ottoman Arab insurgents under a red flag, with the flag of the Arab Rebellion in the upper corner and two crossed swords below a crown in the flying end. The flag of today's Jordanian army goes back to this flag. The colors of the flag of Jordan are specified as follows, besides black and white: Green = RGB 0|122|61, which would correspond to Pantone 356 and Red = RGB 206|17|38, which would correspond to Pantone 186.
The coat of arms was designed in the year 1921 by Emir Adallah and showed initially the Eagle of Saladin, an in the Arabian world widespread symbol, above a blue globe, which growes above a round shield. It symbolizes the expansion of the Islam in the world. Palm fronds and wheat ears symbolize Jordanian products. The Arabian inscription in the golden ribbon is a invocation to God. In the year 1987 the Eagle of Saladin was substitute by an hawk.
The name of the country goes back to the River Jordan. This land was named "Transjordan" after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, the "Land beyond the Jordan". In the year 1950 followed the renaming in "Jordan".
