Rub el Hizb

The Rub el Hizb () is a Muslim symbol, represented as two overlapping squares, which is found on a number of emblems and flags. In Arabic, Rubʻ means "one fourth, quarter", while Hizb means a group or party. Initially, it was used in the Quran, which is divided into 60 Hizb (60 groups of roughly equal length); the symbol determines every quarter of Hizb, while the Hizb is one half of a juz'. The main purpose of this dividing system is to facilitate recitation of the Qur'an.

The symbol is used as a marker for the end of a chapter in Arabic calligraphy. It is represented by two overlapping squares as in the Unicode glyph ۞ at U+06DE.

An eight-pointed star was used as a symbol of Tartessos, an ancient civilization based in Andalusia. As the region was ruled by Islamic dynasties for eight centuries, this may suggest a possible origin of the Rub el Hizb.

The Star of Lakshmi is a similar symbol, based on the same geometric star figure, which figures in Hinduism, where it represents Ashtalakshmi, the eight forms, or "kinds of wealth", of the goddess Lakshmi.

Uses

The Rub el Hizb can be seen on:

• The current coat of arms of Turkmenistan
• The current coat of arms of Uzbekistan
• Azat party flag
• The unofficial flag of Kazakhstan in the 1990s, the basis of the modern state flag, light blue with a hollow yellow rub el hizb
• The fictional flag of Hatay in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• modified on the flag of Azerbaijan
• The emblem of the Organization of the...... ...
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