The national flag of Algeria () consists of two equal vertical bars, green and white, charged in the center with a red

star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...

, a symbol of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

as the nation's prominent faith. The flag was adopted on 3 July 1962. A similar version was used by the

Algerian government Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the go ...

in exile from 1958 to 1962. The Western

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''per pale vert and argent; a crescent and star gules''.

Description

Algerian ships fly it as their ensign, except for ships of the

Algerian National Navy The Algerian Naval Force (ANF; , ) is the naval branch of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces, Algerian military. The naval force operates from multiple bases along the country's nearly coastline, fulfilling its primary role of monitoring ...

, which use one charged with two white crossed anchors in the

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative divisions * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and entertainment * Canton (band), an It ...

as the

naval ensign A naval ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by naval ships of various countries to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from a country's civil ensign or state ensign. It can also be known as a war ensign. A large v ...

. Formerly, the two crossed anchors in the canton were red. According to algeria-un.org, cited in 1999, the features of the flag are set down precisely, being described as:

Construction Sheet

Symbolism

The flag aims to highlight Algeria's cultural heritage, but there are different interpretations of its elements. According to Malek Chebel, green represents Islam and white represents purity. For Pierre Lux-Wurm, green and white bring to mind the ancient banners of

from the time of the

Prophet Muhammad In Islam, Muhammad () is venerated as the Seal of the Prophets who transmitted the Quran, eternal word of God () from the Angels in Islam, angel Gabriel () to humans and jinn. Muslims believe that the Quran, the central religious text of Isl ...

, while the crescent and star can be seen as symbols of light. According to Khaled Merzouk, the green stripe represents the earth and agriculture, the white stripe represents peace and the crescent and star are

symbols of Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion teaching that there is only Tawhid, one God in Islam, God and that Muhammad is the last Prophets and messengers in Islam, messenger of God. It is the Largest religion, world's second ...

. The star represents the five pillars of Islam.

Benjamin Stora Benjamin Stora (born 2 December 1950) is a French historian, expert on North Africa, who is widely considered one of the world's leading authorities on Algerian history. He was born in a Jewish family that left the country following its War o ...

suggests that the three colors of the flag originally represented the three countries of the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

and the ideas of union.

History

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, various Islamic dynasties ruled in what is now Algeria and controlled different territories at different times. At that time, national flags as we understand them today were not used. It is possible to distinguish, using various sources, certain constants, such as the presence of a crescent with variable orientation and the presence of the colors red, blue and white.

Regency of Algiers

Red, yellow and green flags

Numerous Arab and French sources unanimously agree on the

tricolor A triband is a vexillological style which consists of three stripes arranged to form a flag. These stripes may be two or three colours, and may be charged with an emblem in the middle stripe. Not all tribands are tricolour flags, which requires t ...

Algerian flag of red, green and yellow horizontal bands, raised first by the

corsair A corsair is a privateer or pirate, especially: * Barbary corsair, Ottoman and Berber privateers operating from North Africa * French corsairs, privateers operating on behalf of the French crown Corsair may also refer to: Arts and entertainme ...

and sultan

Oruç Barbarossa Aruj Barbarossa ( 1474 – 1518), known as Oruç Reis () to the Turks, was an Ottoman corsair who became Sultan of Algiers. The elder brother of the famous Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, he was born on the Ottoman island of Midilli (Le ...

, the founder of the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an Early modern period, early modern semi-independent Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman province and nominal Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Afr ...

, a

tributary state A tributary state is a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This token often ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

from 1516 to 1830. The tricolor flag seemed to be raised on the main gate of Bab Azzoun in Algiers, as well as the Djenina palace, forts and other governmental buildings in Algiers, the flag also accompanied the forces of the regency in notable battles like the Algiers expedition of 1541 and the siege of Malta. It was called "the victorious flag" according to an Arab manuscript, while some French authors branded it as "insolent" and "terrible". It was even described by other authors as "the national flag of Algiers". One variant was considered a

war flag A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...

according to Bertrand Dubreuil.

Dey-Pasha flags

Janissary flags

Naval flags

The

Barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

Ottoman Algeria The Regency of Algiers was an early modern semi-independent Ottoman province and nominal vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the privateer brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Reis (also known as the Barb ...

between the 15th and 17th century widely used flags that were emblazoned with one or more

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

s. These could however vary greatly in color, with dark red, black, green and white being in use. Besides these, Algerian corsairs also used various flags in plain color, such as plain black ones signalling death. Less often, Algerian flags of this time also carried other motifs, such as suns, stars and crossed swords. American historian

John Baptist Wolf John Baptist Wolf (July 16, 1907 – April 22, 1996) was an American historian, specializing in modern European history. Life Born in Ouray, Colorado, on July 16, 1907, Wolf was the son of a German immigrant. Wolf received his B.A. and M.A. fr ...

indicates that the corsairs of Algiers flew the star spangled green banner. This account was also mentionned by the French historian , who also noted that the corsairs used the plain red flag more often by the late period of the Regency.

Merchant flags

French Algeria

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

was the period of Algerian history when the country was a colony and later a part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, for this reason the official flag was the

flag of France The national flag of France () is a Tricolour (flag), tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (Flag terminology#Description of standard flag parts and terms, hoist side), white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Rev ...

. The French invasion began at a time when

used a solid

white flag White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire and for negotiation. It is also used to symboliz ...

, but during the campaign, as a result of the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

in metropolitan France, the tricolor was adopted, which remained in use until the independence of the Republic of Algeria in 1962. In the 19th century there was a merchant flag used on ships coming from Algeria and it was adopted after 1848, when the territories in Algeria were integrated with Metropolitan France, creates the multicolored motifs of the striped flags of the regency. The exact rules and years of use of the striped flag are unknown. The misrepresentation of the merchant flag as the main flag of French Algeria has been happening since the 19th century.

Emirate of Abdelkader

The

Emirate of Abdelkader The Emirate of Mascara or Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, was a sovereign country founded by Abdelkader al-Jazairi, Abd al-Qadir al-Jazairi with the allegiance of the people of Algeria to resist the French conquest of Algeria with its first capital at ...

or Emirate of

Mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...

was a sovereign country founded by

Abdelkader al-Jazairi Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir () is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means 'servant of who can do everything'. ''Al-Qādir'' is one of the names of Allah in the Qur'an, which ...

with the allegiance of the people of Algeria to resist the

French conquest of Algeria The French conquest of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Regency of Algiers, and the French consul (representative), consul escalated into a blockade, following which the Jul ...

with its first capital at

then

Tagdemt Tagdemt (also spelt Taqidemt) is a town and commune in Tiaret Province in north-western Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria ...

after it was taken by France. Many flags were used in the emirate, but the most important is the green and white one used at Abdelkader's tent. In the white center was a raised

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

Fatima Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia imam. ...

drawn surrounded by the words in gold ''"victory from Allah and the reconquest is near, and the victory by Emir Abdelkader"''. Copies of this flag, although different in proportions, are kept in the Emir Abdelkader Museum in

Miliana Miliana (in Berber: ⵎⵉⵍⵉⴰⵏⴰ, in Darija: مليانة) is an Algerian commune in the Aïn Defla province, serving as the capital of Miliana district approximately southwest of the Algerian capital, Algiers.r/sup>, which covers its ...

History of the current flag

The North African Star (ENA) Association was preserved in 1926, with

Messali Hadj Ahmed Ben Messali Hadj (; May 16, 1898 – June 3, 1974; commonly known as Messali Hadj, ) was an Algerian nationalist politician dedicated to the independence of his homeland from French colonial rule. He is often called the "father" of Algeria ...

as its chairman, and one of its members was the grandson of the

Emir Abdelkader Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhyi al-Din (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abd al-Qadir al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of ...

Khalid ibn Hashim Khaled ibn Hashimi ibn Hajj Abd al Qadir (1875 – January 1936) was the grandson of the military leader Abd al Qadir and was for a time a prominent opponent of the nature of French colonial rule in Algeria. Early years Khaled ibn Hashimi was b ...

. Since 1926, this organization has used a green flag with the words "Algeria our country, Arabic our language and Islam our religion". While there is some dispute over who exactly designed the green and white with red star and crescent symbol,

Émilie Busquant Émilie Busquant (1901–1953) was a French feminist, anarcho-syndicalist and anti-colonial activist who was married to the Algerian nationalist leader Messali Hadj. She is notable for her involvement in the creation of the Algerian flag. ...

, wife of the Algerian nationalist leader

, is generally credited as having sewed the first version of the flag in 1934. Historian

explains that it was during a meeting of the ENA, in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, that the colors of the flag were chosen, after which Émilie Busquant was tasked with sewing it. However, René Gallissot and Anissa Bouayed affirm that this is not the first appearance of the Algerian flag, as Algerian trade union demonstrators displayed this same flag (green and white with a red star and crescent) during the

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's March equinox, spring equinox and midsummer June solstice, solstice. Festivities ma ...

parades in 1919 and 1920, in

and

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

Research by historian Mohamed Ghnanèche shows that in 1940, another flag was adopted with a red star and a white crescent placed above the center. It was then transformed by the

Algerian People's Party The Algerian People's Party, was a successor organization of the North African Star, led by veteran Algerian nationalist Messali Hadj. It was formed on March 11, 1937. In 1936, the Etoile Nord Africaine (ENA), its predecessor, had joined the Fren ...

(PPA) to its current form in 1943. According to Achour Cheurfi, the design of the current flag comes from PPA independence activists who, around 1944, commissioned a limited group to select the flag, it will be raised for the first time during demonstration in Sétif. During these events, this is carried, among others, by Bouzid Saâl, a student who will later be killed by the

French police Law enforcement in France is centralized at the national level. Recently, legislation has allowed local governments to hire their own police officers which are called the ''Municipal Police (France), police municipale''. There are two nation ...

. The green and white flag marked with a star and a red crescent was adopted by the National Liberation Front (FLN), which led the

fight Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

against France and was subsequently adopted in 1958 by the

Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic The Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic (, ; French: ''Gouvernement provisoire de la République algérienne'', GPRA) was the government-in-exile of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) during the latter part of the Algeria ...

. It was raised at the

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

Conference in August 1959, where it was officially recognized by several African countries. It is then formalized and standardized by the law of April 25, 1963.

Unicode

The flag of Algeria is represented as the

Unicode Unicode or ''The Unicode Standard'' or TUS is a character encoding standard maintained by the Unicode Consortium designed to support the use of text in all of the world's writing systems that can be digitized. Version 16.0 defines 154,998 Char ...

emoji An emoji ( ; plural emoji or emojis; , ) is a pictogram, logogram, ideogram, or smiley embedded in text and used in electronic messages and web pages. The primary function of modern emoji is to fill in emotional cues otherwise missing from type ...

sequence and , making "🇩🇿".

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

*
Flag of Algeria at flagscorner.com
{{nationalflags

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