The Flag of Jerusalem is based on the flag of Israel. It features two horizontal blue stripes reminiscent of the tallit, or Jewish prayer shawl. In the center are Jerusalem's coat of arms, which consists of a shield with the lion of Judah superimposed on a stylized background representing the kotel, flanked on either side with olive branches. The word יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (i.e. Yerushalayim, Hebrew for "Jerusalem") appears above the shield. A vertical variant is sometimes used during ceremonial functions.
The flag was adopted in 1949 following a contest held by the municipal government of Jerusalem, which was established by Israel (in the western part of the city). It became the flag of a united Jerusalem following the Six Day War in 1967.
