Thursday 24 March 2016

By Gary Lock


Gibraltar can trace its history back almost 3000 years to when the Phoenicians landed in 940BC on the small area of land on the southern edge of Europe and founded the city of Carteia. By the 11th century AD, Gibraltar was part of the Arab kingdom of Sevilla. The threat of invasion from African sects led to the building of a fort in 1068, but Gibraltar was eventually overrun by the Almohads.

In 1540, the great Queen Isabella died. In her will she wrote of Gibraltar: "That they may always hold for The Crown and in Our Royal Patrimony the said City of Gibraltar, with all which appertains thereto, and may not give away nor alienate, nor consent to being given or alienated, any part thereof." None-the-less, her descendant Philip V gave it away conditionally but effectively to Britain in 1713.

The present banner of Gibraltar was formally embraced on November 8, 1982. The banner of Gibraltar is a stretched variant of the crest of Gibraltar which was initially embraced as the official ensign of the nation by the requests of Queen Isabella of Castile on July 10, 1502.

The banner of Gibraltar components two even groups of red and white with a three-towered stronghold amidst the white band. The château is two-layered and each of the towers has an entryway and a window. A brilliant key is discovered swinging from the center tower stretching out into the red stripe.

The red band in the flag symbolizes the revolutionary spirit and fortitude shown by the countrymen in their fight for independence; white is a traditional color of peace and stands for the harmony in the nation.

The gold key swinging from the center tower speaks of the vital position Gibraltar possesses at the passage to the Mediterranean. The château reflects the fortress of Gibraltar. Flag Company Inc decided to assist with the history development by providing special decals and banners to make it easy to build a bit of the Gibraltar Flag history right at home.




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