Well it’s been almost 8 years since this list has been updated, but finally the time has come that I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for with baited breath – someone has built a flagpole taller than the one in Jeddah!
These are just little excerpts, and you can read the full descriptions of the previous top 10 here . Here’s the current top 10:
Equal 9. Wagah, Pakistan – 122m high
There’s no ambiguity about this one, it’s an obvious and epic proverbial middle finger very specifically directed at India. It was never actually the biggest in the world, unlike most on this list. It did its job though, which was just to be bigger than the one the Indians built. A major highlight of any tour of Pakistan !
Equal 9. Abu Dhabi, UAE – 122m high
This one was once the tallest in the world, but has obviously been overtaken a few times since then. It’s hard to prove, but it is possibly thanks to this flagpole that we now have the worldwide contest that this has now become.
8. Amman, Jordan – 126.8m high
Although nowhere near the top of this list, because of the relatively low and badly lit skyline it’s part of, it’s visible from 20km away and especially at night is a very spectacular sight.
7. Aqaba, Jordan – 131m high
This is the only flag on this list that doesn’t fly the country’s national flag, but instead flies the flag of the Arab Revolt to commemorate the Battle of Aqaba in 1917. And located right at the top point of the Gulf of Aqaba, this huge pole amazingly can be seen from 3 countries – Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
6. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan – 133m high
If you’ve been to Turkmenistan or read anything about the country, you’d be expecting them to be on the list given their propensity to have the biggest, most or tallest all sorts of ridiculous things. Their contribution was built in 2008 and briefly held the title.
Check out our Destination Guide to get inspired, or have a look at our list of Turkmenistan tours .
5. Kijongdong, DPRK – 160m high
This is an odd one – whilst all these countries were battling over who had the biggest pole, no one had realised that North Korea had been sitting on the title for quite a while already! You might have heard of the “flag war” between the North and the South in the 1980s?
4. Baku, Azerbaijan – 162m high
This is the only one on the list that caused nearby residents to be evacuated from their homes. Apparently it was “sagging”!
3. Dushanbe, Tajikistan – 165m high
Knocking out Azerbaijan in 2011, Tajikistan’s 165m flagpole is actually a pretty cool place to visit, and next time you’re in Dushanbe I’d recommend putting it on your to-do-list. Of course this is a staple on any SAIGA tour of Tajikistan !
2. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – 175m high
This flag was raised for the first time on Saudi Arabia’s National Day in 2014, in the centre of King Abdullah Square in Jeddah, and until recently was the biggest in the world, holding the title for almost 8 years.
If you'd like to see this former Number 1, join us in November for our tour of Saudi Arabia .
1. The newest addition to the list, Cairo – 201.952m
Although most on this list could also make this claim, they haven’t, but the thing that keeps being said about the new tallest flagpole is that it’s taller than the Great Pyramid, which is 138m tall. The total weight of the flagpole is 1,040 tons, and the flag is 60x40m. Jeddah managed to hang on to the title for longer than most, let’s see how long it is until someone overtakes Cairo for this title!
