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 The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on ...

. Placed upon a green field is a symbolic representation of the country's famous carpet industry. It was introduced as the flag of

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

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 side, containing five

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

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 The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

; a white waxing crescent moon, typical of Turkic 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 star A five-pointed star (☆), geometrically an equilateral concave decagon, is a common ideogram in modern culture. Comparatively rare in classical heraldry, it was notably introduced for the flag of the United States in the Flag Act of 1777 and s ...

s 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

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

s ('' welayatlar'') of Turkmenistan:

Ahal Ahal may refer to: * Ahal Province, in Turkmenistan * Ahel, a city in Fars Province, Iran * FC Ahal Ahal Änew Football Club ( tk, Ahal Änew Futbol Kluby), or simply Ahal FC, is a Turkmen professional association football club based in the ...

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 Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. 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

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

s 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 Teke or Tekke can refer to: People * Teke (Turkmen tribe) or Tekke, a tribe of southern Turkmenistan * Teke people or Bateke, a Central African ethnic group * Fatih Tekke (born 1977), Turkish footballer * Kent Tekulve (born 1947), American baseba ...

(Tekke),

Yomut The Yomut or Yomud is a Turkmen tribe that lives in Western and Central Asia, including Gorgan, Iran; Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan; the eastern Caspian shores; Khiva, Uzbekistan; and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. The Yomut carpet is a type of rug t ...

(

Yomud The Yomut or Yomud is a Turkmen tribe that lives in Western and Central Asia, including Gorgan, Iran; Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan; the eastern Caspian shores; Khiva, Uzbekistan; and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. The Yomut carpet is a type of rug t ...

Saryk The Saryk () are a tribe of Turkmens in Turkmenistan. The Saryk mostly live in the valley of the Marghab River (the ancient Margiana). Etymology Suggestions for the etymology of ''Saryk'' (also ''Sarik, Saryq'') are the Middle Turkic ''saryγ'' ...

(

Saryq The Saryk () are a tribe of Turkmens in Turkmenistan. The Saryk mostly live in the valley of the Marghab River (the ancient Margiana). Etymology Suggestions for the etymology of ''Saryk'' (also ''Sarik, Saryq'') are the Middle Turkic ''saryγ'' ...

Chowdur 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 th ...

( Choudur), and Arsary ( Ersary). The middle design may also represent the Salyr (

Salor Salor is a state constituency in Kelantan, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly The Kelantan State Legislative Assembly ( ms, Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan) is the unicameral state legislature of the ...

), 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 The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

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 The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in 1991, Turkmenistan had a flag similar to all other Soviet Republics; see Flag of the Turkmen SSR. 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