History and meaning of the flag:

The red color of the Turkish flag originates from Umar, the ruler of the Arab Caliphate in 634-644 and the conqueror of Palestine, Egypt and Mesopotamia. In the XIV century. red became the color of the Ottoman Empire. A crescent with a star is a symbol of Islam.

It is noteworthy that initially the star was located inside the month, which is incorrect from the point of view of astronomy (the star in this case was covered by the invisible part of the Moon), therefore at the beginning of the 20th century, according to the requirements of astronomers, it was moved outside the month. Although at present the flag contains some astronomical discrepancy - the “crescent” does not represent the phase of the Moon (which we can observe from the Earth every month), but an eclipse of the Moon by an unknown object (in size and position of the orbit - not the Earth) of a round shape (which is unnatural for asteroids). In a word, such a Moon is impossible to observe from Earth now and was impossible to observe for thousands of years earlier.

Some sources indicate that the crescent, considered a traditional symbol of Islam, appeared on Turkish flags in the mid-15th century. after the victorious battle of Kosovo, others clarify that it was borrowed from the emblem of Constantinople (now Istanbul) taken in 1453, others recall that the image of a crescent with the star of Jupiter was considered the horoscope of Sultan Osman (ruled in the late 13th - early 14th centuries. ), was the family emblem of his dynasty.

True, stars appeared on Turkish flags only at the beginning of the 19th century, when they were seven- and eight-pointed. The five-pointed star appeared in 1844. For a long time, the sacred green color of the Prophet Muhammad prevailed on Turkish flags, only in 1793 Sultan Selim III ordered the legalization of the red color.

By the time of its collapse in 1918, the Ottoman Empire had a flag on the red panel of which the sacred image of a white crescent and a five-pointed star was repeated three times. In 1923, the flag of the Turkish Republic was established, which still exists today. On May 29, 1936, it was officially approved in a ratio of 3:2.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the coat of arms of Turkey featured, against the background of military trophies, a shield with a golden month in a green field. The shield was crowned with the Sultan's turban. Decades have passed, Turkey has become a secular republican state, and the sultans are a thing of the past in this country. Nowadays, both the coat of arms and the flag of this power have the same design - a white crescent with a star on a red field.

There are many legends about the origin of these symbols. One of them is associated with the distant year 339 BC. e., when the troops of Philip of Macedon, the father of the famous commander Alexander, surrounded the city of Byzantium, as Istanbul was called in ancient times. The siege was long and bloody, the inhabitants desperately resisted, many people died in the struggle for freedom. Then the enemy decided to dig under the impregnable fortress at night. But suddenly, from behind the heavy clouds, a moon shone and a star next to it, repeatedly reflected in the pools of blood near the city walls. The watchmen on the towers noticed the enemy and raised the alarm. Philip's soldiers retreated with heavy losses, and the city was saved. In memory of this event and as a symbol of freedom from invaders, the crescent with a star became the emblem of Byzantium. Centuries later, in 1453, the hordes of the Turkish Sultan captured the city, and then the entire Eastern Roman Empire. The emblem was transferred to the banner of the winners, and since then the crescent with a star has been emblazoned on the Turkish flag.

Brief information about the country

Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye), officially the Republic of Turkey (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti) is a state located mainly in South-West Asia, and partly (about 3% of the territory, 20% of the population) in South-Eastern Europe (Eastern Thrace) . It was formed in 1923 as a result of the division of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in the First World War and the subsequent national liberation war of the Turkish people, the abolition of the monarchy and the transformation of the territory with a predominance of the Turkish ethnic group into the Turkish national state. The population as of 2015 is more than 77,695,904 people, the territory is 783,562 km². It ranks eighteenth in the world in terms of population and thirty-sixth in territory. The official language is Turkish.

An industrial country with a dynamically developing economy. GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $19,610 per year (2014). In 2014, Turkey's GDP at PPP amounted to $1,508 billion. The nominal GDP per capita was $10,482 per year (2014). In 2014, Turkey's nominal GDP was $806 billion.

The main part of the country's territory falls on the Anatolian Peninsula and the Armenian Highlands, a smaller part on the Balkan Peninsula between the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Türkiye is bordered in the east by Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran; in the south - with Iraq and Syria; in the west - with Greece and Bulgaria. The country is washed by four seas: the Black, Mediterranean, Aegean and Marmara.

In 2000, the Republic of Turkey acquired official status as a candidate country for membership of the European Union. NATO member since 1952.

Country Türkiye on the world map

Video about the country Türkiye

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The state symbols of Turkey - the coat of arms and the flag - contain an image of a crescent and a five-pointed star in white on a red background.

Official interpretation. The history of the emergence of the modern flag of Turkey has several interpretations. The only obvious thing is that the symbolism is inherited from the Ottoman Empire, a state that existed on the territory of today’s Turkey until 1923. Red became the color of the empire in the 14th century, and the Turkish rulers placed the crescent and star on the flag as the main sign of Islam.

History of transformations. It is believed that the red color of the Turkish flag is associated with the banners of the times of Umar, the sultan of the Arab Caliphate in the 7th century and the conqueror of the territories of Palestine, Mesopotamia and Egypt. For a long time, Turkish flags were green, according to the Islamic interpretation of this color as sacred. In 1793, red became the official symbol of Turkey by decree of Sultan Selim III.

The star first appeared only at the beginning of the 19th century and was depicted as seven- or eight-pointed. In 1844 it became five-pointed.

Shortly before its collapse in 1918, the national flag of the Ottoman Empire was a red cloth with a triple image of a five-pointed star and crescent. In 1923, the modern flag of the Turkish Republic was approved. In 1936, the proportions were officially established as 3:2.

Theories and legends of origin. One of the myths connects the origin of symbolism with the year 339 BC. e., when the army of Philip of Macedon besieged Byzantium (modern Istanbul). The population's resistance was long and fierce, and a significant part of the city's residents died. The enemy decided to undermine the fortress at night. Suddenly, a month appeared from behind the clouds, and a star flashed next to it, reflected in the blood of the dead soldiers. The moon illuminated the enemy troops near the walls of the fortress, and the watchmen raised the alarm. Philip's army retreated with heavy losses. In memory of this battle and as a symbol of the liberation of the country from invaders, the crescent and star became the emblem of Byzantium. A few centuries later, in 1453, Turkish troops captured Constantinople, and then the entire territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. The winners borrowed the emblem for their own flag, after which it remained unchanged to this day.

According to another theory, the red color of the cloth corresponds to old Turkish customs and symbolizes “sovereignty” or “power”. The white color of the month and star signifies greatness, strength, purity and justice.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, the coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire depicted a green circle and a month against a background of star rays. Underneath was a shield decorated with golden months and stars and topped with the Sultan's turban. On both sides of the coat of arms were depicted the red banner of the Ottoman dynasty and the green banner of Islam, as well as the spoils of war of the empire.

The modern Turkish Republic does not have an official state emblem. Instead, the emblem is often used - a red oval with an image of a vertically positioned white crescent and star. This symbol is similar to the national flag of the country and is supplemented by the official name of the state in Turkish.

Modern symbols are respected among the population of the country and are placed in public and private institutions, as well as in private houses and apartments in Turkey.

And hello again, dear ones! Last time () we finished with the stylistics of the moon and stars in Muslim states, and today we will start with them. There are 2 other countries whose flags display the above symbols and whose flags are sometimes confused - Algeria and Pakistan. To be fair, there are two more countries that have similar symbols - Mauritania and the Maldives, but their banners are difficult to confuse with all the others. Therefore, let's start with Algeria.
The flag of the Algerian People's Democratic Republic was adopted on July 3, 1962, immediately after receiving a positive result in the popular referendum on Independence from France. The referendum was preceded by a bloody 8-year war with the Metropolis.

Algeria flag


The design of the flag has a collective image. On the one hand, the Dei (rulers) of Algeria have used the white star and month since the 16th century as the autonomy of the Ottoman Porte. At the same time, the design of the moon was somewhat different from the Turkish and Tunisian ones, since the edges of the moon were somewhat elongated, and the star was located inside the month. On the one hand, this is Muslim symbolism. The emblem denotes divine protection, growth, rebirth and, together with the star enclosed within the crescent, paradise. On the other hand, the Berbers, who in ancient times lived in Algeria, considered one of their main deities Ayur, the deity of the moon, whose sign was the crescent.

national hero emir Abd al-Qadir

The white and red stripes of the flag were apparently taken from the standard of the hero of the Algerian people, Emir Abd al-Qadir, famous for his courage, but at the same time for his kindness and tolerance on religious issues. According to modern interpretations, the colors of the flag symbolize Islam (green), purity (white) and freedom (red).
Flag of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in August 1947 immediately after the declaration of Independence from the British Empire. The first design of the flag was by Amir Eddin Hidwai, based on the banner of the All India Muslim League, which was introduced in 1906, which (the league is meant) in turn developed its banner based on the pennants of the Delhi Sultanate and the green banners of the Mughal Empire.

flag of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan

The aspect ratio of the Pakistani flag is 2:3. The flag is a rectangular panel of dark green color. There is a wide white stripe along the base of the flag. On the green background of the panel there is a white pattern depicting a crescent and a star with five rays. The green color of the banner means the Muslims of the country; the white stripe means other faiths. The crescent moon symbolizes Muslim adherence to the lunar calendar, and the five-pointed star symbolizes the five pillars of Islam (Testimony of faith (or shahada), prayer (or salat), donation (or zyakat), fasting (or saum) and pilgrimage (or hajj). White color scheme The star and crescent also symbolizes the purity of the inhabitants (Pakistan literally means “land of the pure”), as well as development, enlightenment and progress.

one of the leaders of the All India Muslim League, lawyer Said Amir Ali

Next we will look at the flags of 4 states in South and Central America, which are different, but in some cases they can be confused. I'm talking about the banners of Argentina, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.
The flag of the Argentine Republic has remained unchanged since 1812. General and poet Manuel Belgrano is considered its creator, and June 20 (the day of his death) was declared a public holiday in Argentina - “Flag Day”. To tell the truth, Argentines have 2 flags - the official ceremonial and the festive. We can observe a similar picture in Poland.

Manuel Belgrano

The official ceremonial one differs from the festive one by the image of a stylized yellow sun in the middle of a white stripe, which symbolizes Inti, the Incan Sun God and at the same time the May Revolution of 1810, which became a harbinger of Argentina's independence from the Spaniards. Therefore, this sign is often called the “May sun”. The official version of the flag must always be raised higher than the celebratory version, but in all other respects both versions of the national flag are considered valid.

official ceremonial banner of the Argentine Republic

There are several meanings for the colors of the flag. According to the main one, white represents the clouds and snow of the Andes, and light blue represents the sky. According to another, the blue color symbolizes the La Plata River, and the white color symbolizes silver (the name “Argentina” comes from the Latin name for silver, argentum). The third meaning is the color of the clothes of the country's patron saint - the Blessed Virgin.

La Plata River

The flag of Honduras was designed by the first president of the republic, José Maria Medina, and approved on January 9, 1866. Between the 2 stripes, which the Hondurans themselves call the color of “coastal turquoise,” there is a white stripe with 5 five-pointed stars. These stars represent 5 states (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Los Altos), which as provinces were part of the state called the United Provinces of Central America from 1823 to 1840.
The blue stripes symbolize the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean that surround Honduras, as well as the sky, the ideals of brotherly love and the courage of the people. The white stripe symbolizes the goals of patriotism, purity, honesty, faith, obedience and goodness.

Flag of Honduras

The national flag of the Republic of El Salvador (translated from Spanish as Savior) was adopted on May 17, 1912 and, like the Honduran flag, is based on the flag of the United Provinces of Central America. The flag's stripes are blue, not turquoise or light blue (like Honduras and Argentina, respectively), and the country's coat of arms is located in the center of the flag. The building triangle (according to other versions, Masonic) symbolizes equality; its corners represent the three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. Volcanoes represent the five nations of Central America, bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The triangle contains symbols of freedom (Phrygian cap), ideals of the people (golden rays) and peace (rainbow). The motto "Dios, Union, Libertad" reflects faith in God, family harmony and the independence of the people. The 14 clusters of leaves represent the number of departments in El Salvador.
The blue stripes represent the 2 oceans and the white stripe represents the world.

El Salvador flag

The same can be said about the flag of the Republic of Nicaragua - it was also based on the banner of the United Provinces of Central America. Adopted on September 4, 1908 and differs from the Salvadoran one in a slightly lighter shade of blue stripes and coat of arms. The triangle is a symbol of equality. The five volcanoes represent the five countries of Central America, bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The Phrygian cup represents freedom; the rainbow symbolizes peace.
This flag is closest in meaning to the latter flag of the United Provinces of Central America. It turns out that the flags of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras were created on the basis of the banner of the United Provinces of Central America, which in turn was adopted as a basis, guided by the Argentinean one. Hence the similarity.

Nicaragua banner

Let's go further and talk about countries whose flags contain pan-Arab colors and whose banners are similar. Four colors are considered pan-Arab: red, black, white and green. All of them, in one proportion or another and in various combinations, are present in the flags of most countries of the Arab East. As a general rule, each of the above colors represents a specific dynasty or era: black is the color of the flag of the Prophet Muhammad, white is the symbol of the Umayyads, green is the sign of the Fatimids, and red is the color of the Kharijites and Al-Andalusia.

map of the Umayyad Caliphate at its height

But this is the general rule. And individually, each country has its own explanations for the meaning of color. Of all the states with flags of pan-Arab colors, 4 are really similar. These are Egypt-Yemen-Iraq and Syria. All of them are tricolors with horizontal stripes. There is a red stripe at the top, then white, and finally black.
Let's start, perhaps, with the banner of the Yemeni Republic. After the unification of the Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen in the early 90s, the single country began to use the tricolor flag I indicated above.

Yemen flag

Next we will touch on the banner of the Syrian Arab Republic. Adopted March 30, 1980 (repeatedly). Previously, this flag was the so-called United Arab Republic (abbreviated UAR), a unitary state that included Syria and Egypt and existed from February 1958 to September 1971. 2 green stars represent Syria and Egypt as the two countries that are closest in spirit and are true partners.

soldier defending Syrian borders

The flag of the Arab Republic of Egypt differs from the Syrian one in having a golden eagle placed in the center of the flag. The banner in this variation was adopted on October 5, 1984. In addition to the above-mentioned pan-Arab meaning of colors in Egypt, it is believed that red symbolizes the fight against the colonial regime, white symbolizes the “bloodless” revolution of 1952, and black symbolizes the end of the oppression of the British colonial regime. The golden bird in the center is the so-called “Eagle of Saladdin”, the totemic sign of the most famous sultan of the Middle Ages - Salah ad-Din, a Kurd by origin, but the ruler of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Hijaz and Yemen.

Egyptian banner

Well, the last one will be a description of the flag of long-suffering Iraq, the design of which has been changed six times over the past 60 years.
At the moment, the country, approved on January 22, 2008, has on the middle white stripe the inscription in green in Arabic “God is great” (Allah Akbar). There were attempts (primarily among the Kurds) to replace this flag with another, but they were unsuccessful

modern flag of Iraq

The next pair of flags, which for some reason are often confused, are the flags of Bahrain and Kuwait.
The current flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain was approved on February 17, 2002. The flag is a red panel with a white vertical stripe at the hoist, bounded by a zigzag on the right side. Proportion 3:5.
The color is taken from the standard of one of the Khajiit Mohammedan movements, which once had great influence in the region. The white stripe on the flag appeared in the mid-19th century as a sign of peace between the local tribes that formed the state and the British, who had interests in the region.

flag of the Kingdom of Bahrain

In 1933, the strip underwent some changes - its edge became zigzag. Finally, in 2002, the flag received its final design, reducing the number of triangles on the zigzag edge of the white stripe to 5. This number is deeply symbolic and represents the five pillars of Islam. There is an alternative version of the flag, but it is not very popular. The white stripe represents the country's Sunni rulers (and Sunnis are a minority in the country, just 25%), the zigzags represent the royal crown, and the red color represents the country's Shiite majority.

Monarch of Bahrain Khalifa Ibn Salman al Khalifa

The flag of Dawlat Qatar, or otherwise the State of Qatar in its current state was adopted in 1971. It, like the Bahraini flag, has a white zigzag stripe at the pole, but there are several significant differences:
1) the main color of the flag is not red, but darker - it is red-burgundy (bearing, by the way, the name Qatar Red). This color represents the blood shed by the country’s patriots in the struggle for its independence.
2) the number of triangles on the zigzag edge of the white stripe is not 5, 9, since Qatar became the 9th Arab state of the Persian Gulf recognized by Great Britain as a result of the Anglo-Qatari Treaty of 1916.
3) Size and shape. The proportions of 11:28 make the Qatari flag the narrowest and narrowest of any country in the world.

Dawlata Qatar banner

Next we will compare the flags of Costa Rica and Thailand. These standards, in general, are completely different, but, nevertheless, for some reason they are often confused.
The 5-stripe flag of the Republic of Costa Rica first appeared in 1848, and the combination of white, red and blue was dedicated to the French Revolution. In 1964, a regulatory document was published supplementing the state flag with a coat of arms. At the moment, a version of the flag is used, both with and without a coat of arms. Stripe ratio: 1:1:2:1:1. The proportions of the flag are 3:5.

flag of costa rica

According to the interpretation of the country's authorities, the blue stripes of the flag mean a peaceful sky, the ideals of justice and perseverance in achieving goals, white - peace, wisdom and happiness, red - the blood shed by the country's patriots for its well-being. An alternative option is this: the white and blue colors of the flag symbolize the independence of the country, and the red symbolizes civilization
On the coat of arms, the seven stars represent the seven provinces of Costa Rica, and the volcanoes represent the country's geographic location between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The sun is an attribute of freedom, and ships symbolize trade.

Coat of arms of Costa Rica

The Kingdom of Thailand also has a 5-stripe flag, but its stripes are arranged differently. In the center is blue, and on the edges are red. The standard was established on September 28, 1917 and has its own name Tong Trairong, that is, the tricolor banner.
According to legend, the flag originally consisted of only white and red stripes, due to the fact that King Rama VI saw the flag hanging upside down, and so that this could not happen again, he created a flag that was symmetrical. However, in 1917 this banner was changed and the central stripe became red. According to the official version, there were 2 reasons for this. Firstly, the king was born on a Friday, and the color of this day for the Thais is officially blue, and they decided to please their monarch. And secondly, it is an expression of solidarity with the allies in the First World War (Great Britain, France, the USA and Russia), who had a combination of blue, white and red in their flags.

flag of the Kingdom of Thailand

There are also many versions of the color meanings of the flag. The main version is this: the colors red-white-blue symbolize the people-religion-king.

The flag of Turkey is a red panel, on which a white crescent and a white five-pointed star are placed, located in the middle of the flag, offset to the pole.

Red is the traditional color of Islam, and the same color was used by the Ottoman Empire, which formerly included Turkey, until its collapse in 1918. The crescent and star are ancient symbols of Islam and they are considered symbols of good luck. Red is also an important color in Turkish history, and the crescent and star, although symbols of Islam, were used in Asia Minor even before the advent of Islam.

A Brief History of the Turkish Flag

In its modern form, the flag of Turkey has been used since 1844, but it was officially approved only on June 5, 1936. Initially, the flag was a green panel with a crescent, but its design changed in 1793, when Sultan Selim III changed the color of the panel to red. Then, in 1844, a star was added to the flag. As is the case with many other old flags, there are also many legends surrounding the Turkish flag regarding its history and creation.

If you have been to Turkey, then you probably know what the flag of this country looks like. Its citizens are great patriots, so they hang the red flag with a star and crescent everywhere - on lanterns, on their own balconies and any hills.

Not to mention his image on numerous souvenirs and the decoration of cities with red flags on holidays. The popular name of the flag is ay-yildyz, which translates as “crescent and star” or al-sanjak – “red banner”. The flag of Turkey in its modern form is a red rectangle with a white star and a white crescent. This flag has come to us since 1844, and before that it underwent various modifications: it changed color - from white to green, then from green to red, shape - from wedge-shaped to rectangular. The number of crescents changed on it, stars with different numbers of ends appeared (from eight to five), and the crescent and stars themselves either “got better” or “lost weight.”

Where did the crescent moon come from?

The Turkish flag is one of the oldest in the world, and this makes it very difficult to trace its history back to its inception, as well as understand what it actually symbolizes. There are many versions, speculations and legends. I tried to study them all and put them together.

The moon and star as symbols of the Turks existed long before the emergence of the Ottoman Empire and the adoption of Islam by the Turks. According to one version, they appeared on the Turkic flags as two most important celestial elements, since the ancient Turks (like the Mongols) were adherents of Tengrism, that is, they worshiped the sky. And for the same reason, the flag of East Turkestan is exactly the same as the flag of Turkey, only in a blue, heavenly color.

According to another version, the crescent moon came to the Ottoman Empire from Byzantium. When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, they adopted its symbol - a month with a star, which, in turn, received it back when it was Byzantium. According to legend, the army of the Macedonian king Philip (father of the legendary Alexander the Great) besieged the small city of Byzantium, located on the banks of the Bosphorus. On one of the darkest nights, Philip decided to take the city by storm and sent his army to its walls. But suddenly the clouds parted, and the moon illuminated the surrounding area for the residents of the city and the enemy approaching the walls. The attack was successfully repelled, and the moon became the emblem of the city. Emperor Constantine added an eight-pointed star to the crescent as a symbol of the Virgin Mary.

Legends say...

There are several other legends regarding the appearance of the crescent and star on the Ottoman banner. The lyrical story tells that the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Osman I, was in love and dreamed of marrying Mal Khatun, the daughter of a qadi (Islamic judge). He thought about his beloved for days on end, and one night he had a dream in which the Moon rose from the chest of his beloved and illuminated the whole world from edge to edge. Osman decided that this dream was prophetic and signified that his and Mal Khatun’s heirs would take over the whole world, so he made the crescent moon a symbol of his dynasty.

Another story tells that either Murad II after the battle on Kosovo, which led to the complete defeat of the enemies, or Selim I after the conquest of Egypt and its annexation to the Ottoman Empire, having crushed the enemy, walked along the battlefield in the evening. The Sultan saw the reflection of a crescent and a star in a pool of blood, very similar to his family flag, under which the soldiers went into battle. And this combination of heavenly bodies and shed blood impressed the Sultan so much that he decided to make this image a symbol of his great empire.

It is interesting that the Turks could hardly ever see the crescent in the form in which it is depicted on the Turkish flag. According to astronomers, the Turkish flag depicts an eclipse of the Moon by some unknown object (not the Earth or an asteroid). Such an eclipse could not be observed on Earth for many millennia. Astronomers also found another discrepancy, which was corrected. On the Ottoman flag, the star was inside the crescent, which was impossible from an astronomical point of view.

The controversy continues

There is often an opinion that the crescent with a star on the Turkish flag is a symbol of Islam. This is a common error that occurs as a result of a violation of the cause-and-effect relationship. The star and crescent did not appear on the flag, as they were a symbol of the new religion of the Ottomans, they became symbols of Islam, since the Ottoman Empire ruled almost the entire Muslim world for several centuries. Thus, the flag of the Ottoman dynasty became a symbol of Islam throughout the world.

Why red and white

As for the colors of the Turkish flag, red and white in Turkic mythology correspond to the south and west (therefore, the Mediterranean Sea located to the west of Turkey is called the White Sea in Turkish). The red and white Turkish flag symbolizes the origin of the Turks from the southwestern branch of the Oguzes - the founders of modern Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and other states. It is believed that the Turkic flag used to be red, but with the advent of Islam it changed its color to the color of Islam - green. In the XIV century. The Ottomans decided to make red the recognized color of their empire and there were two flags - red for official ceremonies and green for religious ones. Red was finally approved as the color of the state flag in 1793 by Sultan Selim III. It is curious that after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, it was decided to preserve the flag, and in 1923 a law was passed on the adoption of the same flag by the Turkish Republic, and in 1936 its proportions were officially approved. According to official legislation, a torn, patched, dirty, faded or crumpled Turkish flag cannot be used or hung anywhere, so as not to offend one of the main symbols of the state. Also, the flag cannot be used to cover tables, chairs, podiums or any other place on which people stand or sit, except for official ceremonies. The flag cannot be used as clothing. Insulting the Turkish flag by word or action is considered a crime and is punishable by law.

What does the anthem say about him?

The flag with a crescent and a star is also mentioned in the Turkish anthem, where it is sung that the red flag of the Turkish people will never disappear or fade, but will illuminate every day, symbolizing the fiery hearts of the Turks. And one more interesting fact - this summer in the Turkish city of Canik, Samsun province, a new municipal building was opened, which is shaped like a crescent, and in front of it is a huge red star. Thus, this peculiar building symbolizes the Turkish flag.

Eustasia SHCHUROVA, AiF – Türkiye