Flag of Uzbekistan in Kuksaray Square in Samarkand

The flag of Uzbekistan ( uz, Oʻzbekiston davlat bayrogʻi / Ўзбекистон Республикасининг давлат байроғи) consists of three horizontal azure, white and green bands separated by two thin red fimbriations, with a white

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...

moon and twelve white stars at the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ente ...

. Adopted in 1991 to replace the flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it has been the

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

of the Republic of

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

since the country gained independence in that same year. The design of the present flag was partly inspired by the former one.

Design

Symbolism

The azure colour on the flag is a symbol of blue sky and clear water. Azure is also the colour of the Turkic peoples. White is the traditional Uzbek symbol of peace and good luck. Green is a symbol of nature, new life, and good harvest. The red fimbriation represent the power of life.

The image of the crescent moon is connected with Uzbek historical image (a symbol of the Uzbek traditional religion, Islam) as well as being a symbol of the birth of a new nation. The stars represent spirituality and divinity, as well as an allusion to Uzbek historical tradition and calendar, the 12 stars on the flag are arranged in such a way that visually they form the inscription

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

in Arabic script. The stars are also a symbol of the pursuit of perfection and happiness of Uzbek people in their homeland.

Legal protection

On 27 December 2010, President Islam Karimov signed an amendment to the law that strengthened the protection of the country's symbols, including its flag and

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...

. It banned the utilization of the flag of Uzbekistan for promotional and commercial purposes, including its usage in advertisements and documents. It also forbade any organizations that are not affiliated with the Uzbek government from adopting logos that resemble the national symbols.

Construction sheet

History

Under Soviet rule, the

Union Republic The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ...

– situated in what is now modern-day

– utilised a flag derived from the

flag of the Soviet Union The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), commonly known as the Soviet flag (), was the official state flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) from 1922 to 1991. The flag's design and symbolism are derived fro ...

and representing Communism, that was approved in 1952. The flag is similar to the Soviet design but with the blue stripe in 1/5 width and the two 1/100 white edges in between. Uzbekistan declared itself independent on 1 September 1991, approximately three months before the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

. A search for a national flag began soon after, with a contest being held to determine the new design. More than 200 submissions were made, and a commission was formed in order to evaluate these suggestions coming from a variety of stakeholders. The winning design was adopted on 18 November 1991, after being selected at an extraordinary session of the Uzbek

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet (russian: Верховный Совет, Verkhovny Sovet, Supreme Council) was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USS ...

. In doing so, Uzbekistan became the first of the newly independent republics in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...

to choose a new flag. Pertaining to its tricolour combination of horizontal stripes of blue, white and green colour, it is similar to the flags of

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked as an enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the highest mountains in Southern Africa. It has an area of over and has a population ...

, an enclaved country within the border of South Africa, and

Puntland Puntland ( so, Puntland, ar, أرض البنط, it, Terra di Punt or ''Paese di Punt''), officially the Puntland State of Somalia ( so, Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland ee Soomaaliya, ar, ولاية أرض البنط الصومالية), is a F ...

, a Somali federal state at the tip of the Horn.Knowlton, Steven A. "Applying sebeok’s typology of signs to the study of flags." Raven: A Journal of Vexillology 19 (2012): 57–97.

Other flags

Flag of Karakalpakstan.svg,

Flag of Karakalpakstan The flag of Karakalpakstan ( kaa, Qaraqalpaqstan Respublikasının' ma'mleketlik bayrag'i / ; uz, Qoraqalpogʻiston Respublikasining davlat bayrogʻi / ) is one of the official symbols (along with the emblem and anthem) of Karakalpakstan, an a ...

Flag of the President of Uzbekistan.svg, Presidential standard of Uzbekistan Davlat xavfsizlik xizmati bayrog'i.jpg, Flag of the State Security Service of Uzbekistan Flag of the Ministry of defence of Uzbekistan.jpg, Flag of the Ministry of Defence of Uzbekistan Uz Air Force.png, Flag of the Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces Naval flag of Uzbekistan.svg, Flag of the

Uzbekistan Naval Forces The Uzbek Navy, known officially as the River Force of Uzbek Frontier Committee are the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Uzbekistan, serving under the Border Troops of the State Security Service. History The naval development o ...

References

External links

*
Uzbekistan – Vexillographia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzbekistan, Flag of

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Flags with star and crescent Flags introduced in 1991