The

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

of the

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

( ps, د افغانستان بیرغ; prs, پرچم افغانستان), also used as the flag of the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, consists of a white field with a black '' Shahada''. It was adopted on 15 August 2021 with the victory of the Taliban in the 2001–2021 war. Since the Anglo-Afghan War of 1919, also known as the War of Independence, Afghanistan has used about 19 national flags, more than any other country in this period. The national flag had black, red and green colors most of the time during the period. The tricolor flag of the internationally-recognized

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was a presidential republic that ruled Afghanistan from 2004 to 2021. The state was established to replace the Afghan interim (2001–2002) and transitional (2002–2004) administrations, which were formed ...

, which remains in use internationally and by resistance movements against the Taliban inside Afghanistan, has vertical black, red and green stripes. It has the national emblem in white at the center. The emblem, which is surrounded by sheaves of wheat, includes a '' Shahada''; a '' Takbir''; rays of sun; a mosque with a ''

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

'', ''

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

'' and two Afghan flags; the year 1298 (١۲۹٨) in the Solar Hijri calendar (i.e. Gregorian

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

); and an inscription stating Afghanistan (). A similar flag with three vertical stripes of the same colors, which had an emblem surrounded by sheaves of wheat, was first flown by King

Amanullah Khan Ghazi Amanullah Khan (Pashto and Dari: ; 1 June 1892 – 25 April 1960) was the sovereign of Afghanistan from 1919, first as Emir and after 1926 as King, until his abdication in 1929. After the end of the Third Anglo-Afghan War in August 1919, ...

in July 1928. During the Afghan Independence Day rallies in Jalalabad and other cities on 18 and 19 August 2021, the Taliban killed three people and injured over a dozen others for removing Taliban flags and displaying the tricolor Afghan flags. The Taliban has issued a decree requiring the use of the Islamic Emirate's flag in all official settings.

Current symbolism

The current flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a plain white flag with the black words of the '' shahada'' in the centre. The white stands for “the (Islamic Movement of Taliban’s) purity of faith and government”; the flag incorporated the ''shahada'', the Islamic declaration of faith, after 1997. The current national flag differs from the banners of other jihadist groups, including those of

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

and the

Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

, in having white as its chief colour and the ''shahada'' in black, an inversion of the design of the coloring of most jihadist groups' banners. This current Afghan flag likely was inspired by the historic

Umayyad caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

, which began the Moslem conquest of the Indian subcontinent, the ''Ghazwa-e-Hind'': Islam entered Afghanistan with the Umayyad invasion, begun in 663-665 A.D. as a prelude to the

Muslim conquest of Transoxiana The Muslim conquest of Transoxiana or Arab conquest of Transoxiana were the 7th and 8th century conquests, by Umayyad and Abbasid Arabs, of Transoxiana, the land between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and Jaxartes (Syr Darya) rivers, a part of Central A ...

from 673 to 751 A.D.

Islamic Republic tricolor

The national flag of the

set out in the 2004 Constitution consists of a vertical tricolor with the classical National Emblem in the center. The latest version was adopted on August 19, 2013, but many similar tricolor designs had been in use throughout most of the 20th century, starting in 1928. Due to the lack of diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government, this tricolor remains in use by most

diplomatic missions of Afghanistan Following the 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban, diplomatic missions of Afghanistan set up by the deposed government, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, have largely continued operating. Because attempts by former Islamic Republic of Afghanist ...

, despite the overthrow of the Islamic Republic in 2021. It is also used by the Afghan diaspora and republican insurgents, and is considered a symbol of resistance within the country.

History of Afghanistan's tricolor flags

The black color represents its troubled 19th century history as a

protected state A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

, the red color represents the blood of those who fought for independence (specifically, the

Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919 The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919, also known as the Treaty of Rawalpindi, was a treaty which brought the Third Anglo-Afghan War to an end. It was signed on 8 August 1919 in Rawalpindi by the United Kingdom and the Emirate of Afghanistan. Britain r ...

), and the green represents hope and prosperity for the future. Some have alternatively interpreted the black to represent history, the red to represent progress, and the green to represent either agricultural prosperity or

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 ...

. The tricolor was supposedly inspired by the Afghan King

when visiting Europe with his wife in 1928. The original horizontal tricolor design was based on that of the Weimar Republic-era

flag of Germany The national flag of Germany is a tricolour (flag), tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: Sable (heraldry), black, Gules, red, and Or (heraldry), gold (german: :de:Schwarz-Rot-Gold, Sc ...

. Almost every Afghan tricolor flag since 1928 has had the

Emblem of Afghanistan The National Emblem of Afghanistan has appeared in some form on the flag of Afghanistan since 1901. Historical emblems File:Emblem of Afghanistan (1901-1919).svg, Emirate of Afghanistan (1901–1919) File:Emblem of Afghanistan (1919-1926).sv ...

in the center. Almost every emblem has had a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

in it, which first appeared in 1901, and

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

, first appearing in 1928. The last tricolor flag took its current form in 2002 with modifications later on in 2004 and 2013, with some variants containing differing coloured emblems. Following the restoration of the

after the Fall of Kabul in 2021, protests took place in Jalalabad and other cities, where protesters were seen waving Afghan tricolor flags protesting its removal in defiance of Taliban rule, due to the reinstatement of the white Shahada flag and the abolishment of the former black, red, and green tricolor flag. The tricolor flag was used by the Afghan delegation at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

between 25 August and 5 September 2021, as well as at the 2021 Cricket T20 World Cup between 26 October and 4 November 2021, both after the fall of Kabul. The color video approximations (valid for flags 1928–1978 and 1980–2021) are listed below:

Other flags

Gallery

File:Flags of Afghanistan.jpg, Flags of Afghanistan on

Koht-e Sangi Kote Sangi ( prs, کوته سنگی) is a neighborhood and major intersection in western Kabul, Afghanistan, part of District 5. It is one of the city's most populated urban areas, located south of the Silo Road and west of Deh Bori and Kabul Univ ...

during Independence Day File:Afghan flag at the Arg.jpg, The Afghan flag flying at the Presidential Palace compound (2019) File:Afghan children in Baghdis province, Afghanistan, pose for a photo April 4, 2013 130404-F-WU507-005.jpg, Afghan children with the national flag in Badghis Province File:Afghan children wave flags during a celebration of the Islamic religious holiday of Eid al-Fitr in the Garmsir district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug 110831-M-ED643-010.jpg, Afghan children waving national flags in Helmand Province File:Bonn Ückesdorf Liebfrauenweg 1a (2).jpg, Afghan flag hanging over the Afghan Embassy in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, Germany File:Afghanistan Flag During Hand Over of Lashkar Gah to Afghan Forces MOD 45153478.jpg, Afghan flags during the handover of

Lashkargah Lashkargāh ( ps, لښکرګاه; fa, لشکرگاه), historically called Bost or Boost (), is a city in southwestern Afghanistan and the capital of Helmand Province. It is located in Lashkargah District, where the Arghandab River merges into ...

(2011) File:Afghan Border Police in Herat-2011.jpg,

Afghan Border Police The Afghan Border Force (ABF) was responsible for security of Afghanistan's border area with neighboring countries extending up to into the interior and formed part of the Afghan National Army. In December 2017, most of the Afghan Border Police ...

in Herat (2011) File:Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan in 2004.jpg, Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan with an Afghan tricolor flag on their truck (2004) File:Afghan, British and American Flags MOD 45151539.jpg, Afghan, British and US flags on poles during a ceremony in Helmand Province (2010) File:Drapeau afghan (5891346269).jpg, Flag similar to that of the 2002–2004 design being flown in Montréal, Canada. File:Demonstration gegen den Taliban-Krieg in Afghanistan (51380125314).jpg, Flags being flown during an anti-

demonstration in Berlin, Germany (2021) File:Daily Life in Afghanistan's Capital 25.jpg, Vendor selling Islamic Emirate flags under Taliban rule (2021)

Historical flags

Notes

References

External links

*
Afghantribes: Afghan National Flags Timeline

{{nationalflags National symbols of Afghanistan

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...