The flag of Turkmenistan ( tk, Türkmenistanyň baýdagy) features a white crescent (symbol of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

) and five stars representing the five regions of the country and the Five Pillars of Islam. Placed upon a green field is a symbolic representation of the country's famous carpet industry. It was introduced as the flag of Turkmenistan on 27 September 1992 to replace the Soviet-era flag which consisted of a red background with two light blue bars in the middle. The modified version with a 2:3 ratio was adopted on 23 January 2001. State Flag and Constitution Day is celebrated on 18 May.

Description

It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the

hoist Hoist may refer to: * Hoist (device), a machine for lifting loads * Hoist controller, a machine for raising and lowering goods or personnel by means of a cable * Hydraulic hooklift hoist, another machine * Hoist (mining), another machine * Hoist ( ...

side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

branches similar to those on the flag of the United Nations; a white waxing

crescent moon Crescent moon may refer to: Lunar phases *Fingernail moon, a lunar phase waxing until 7 days after or waning since 7 days before the new moon * Hilal (crescent moon), an Arabic term for the very slight crescent moon that is first visible after a n ...

, typical of

Turkic Turkic may refer to: * anything related to the country of Turkey * Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages ** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation) ** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language * ...

and

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

symbology, and five white five-pointed stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the

fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

side of the red stripe. The green and red colors appear in this flag because they have been venerated historically by the Turkmen. The waxing crescent moon symbolizes the hope of the country for a shining future and the stars represent the five provinces ('' welayatlar'') of Turkmenistan: Ahal,

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

, Dashoguz,

Lebap Lebap Region ( tk, Lebap welaýaty/Лебап велаяты from the Persian ''Lab-e āb'') is one of the regions of Turkmenistan. It is in the northeast of the country, bordering Afghanistan, Uzbekistan along the Amu Darya. Its capital is T ...

and Mary. The five traditional carpet designs along the hoist make the flag of Turkmenistan the most complex national flag design in the world. They represent the five major tribes or houses, and form motifs in the country's state emblem and flag. These Turkmen tribes in traditional order (as well as top to bottom) are Teke (Tekke), Yomut ( Yomud), Saryk ( Saryq), Chowdur (

Choudur The Chowdur (meaning herder) or Choudor are one of the ten major groups of people who merged after 1920 to form the modern Turkmen Republic. They live primarily in and around the Khorezm Oasis. History The Choudor are thought to belong to the ...

), and

Arsary Ersari ( tk, Ärsary, where ''Er'' - brave man, master; ''sari'' - light, bright, yellow) are one of the major tribes of the Turkmen people of Central Asia and one of the five major tribes of the country of Turkmenistan. They live mainly in Turk ...

(

Ersary Ersari ( tk, Ärsary, where ''Er'' - brave man, master; ''sari'' - light, bright, yellow) are one of the major tribes of the Turkmen people of Central Asia and one of the five major tribes of the country of Turkmenistan. They live mainly in Tur ...

). The middle design may also represent the Salyr ( Salor), a tribe that declined as a result of military defeat before the modern period. File:First carpet gul from flag of Turkmenistan.svg, Teke File:Second carpet gul from flag of Turkmenistan.svg, Ýomut File:Third carpet gul from flag of Turkmenistan.svg, Saryk File:Fourth carpet gul from flag of Turkmenistan.svg, Çowdur File:Fifth carpet gul from flag of Turkmenistan.svg, Ärsary

History

The flag of the Russian Empire was the official flag of Turkmenistan until the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan had a flag similar to all other Soviet Republics; see

Flag of the Turkmen SSR The flag of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted by the Turkmen SSR on August 1, 1953. Although similar to the Flag of the Soviet Union, the layout is identical to the flag of the Kirghiz SSR with a ratio of 1:2. The two blue strip ...

. After independence in 1991, Turkmenistan adopted a flag very similar to the current design, on 19 February 1992. However, the designs on the left were different. On 1 February 1997, an olive branch was added to symbolise the peace-loving nature of the Turkmen people. The positioning of the crescent and stars was also changed, with the crescent positioned roughly to its current position but with the stars in a much more uneven position. In 2001 the flag changed from 1:2 to 2:3 and the green field was made lighter.

Military flags

All flags of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Turkmenistan mimic the Soviet era designs.

References

External links

*
Turkmenistan - vexillographia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkmenistan, Flag of National flags Flags introduced in 1992 Flags introduced in 1997 Flags with star and crescent Flags introduced in 2001

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 ...

Description

History

Military flags

See also

References

External links