[Black Agnes]

I have a question. If the sword in the flag didn't have a curved end, it would resemble a cross. Did they curve the ends of their swords so they wouldn't resemble crosses?

[dighton]

Did they curve the ends of their swords so they wouldn't resemble crosses?

Probably not, though Saudi aversion to display of the Cross is notorious. In a Britannica article on swords I see an English sabre, dated 1856, with a similarly shaped crossbar, grip and pommel.

Any sword experts here?

[Ax]

It wasn't all that long ago that the saudi authorities in Riyadh made the KLM office there scrap their logo. The KLM logo has a cross atop a crown. Moreover, foreigners (infidels) had to be out of Riyadh by sundown.

When I came back from a tour in saudi arabia 20 years ago, I brought a saudi flag back with me. I thought it was sort of neat. Now, that flag is on my living room floor, being used as a doormat.