Flag of Tajikistan

The national flag of the Republic of Tajikistan is a cloth with three horizontal stripes: red, white and green. The red and green stripes are of equal width, while the white stripe is one and a half times wider. In the middle of the flag, on the white stripe, is a golden crown symbol with a semicircle of seven stars. The ratio of flag width to total length is 1:2.

What does the flag of Tajikistan mean? Symbolism of colors

• Red is a symbol of the people's struggle for freedom and independence;
• White is a symbol of happiness, hope and dreams;
• green is a symbol of prosperity, pride, glory and eternity;
• the crown with a semicircle of seven stars symbolizes the state sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Tajikistan.

But this is not the only interpretation of the flag colors. According to the Avesta (a collection of sacred books of the peoples of Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Afghanistan), the free population of ancient Iranian society was divided into three classes, each associated with a specific color:

• military nobility (avest: raθaē-štar-). The color red symbolizes valor and self-sacrifice in the name of high ideals;
• the clergy (avest. āθravan-, aθaurvan-). The color white symbolizes spirituality, moral purity, and holiness;
• cattle breeders, farmers (avest: vāstrya.fšuyant-). The green color symbolizes nature, youth and prosperity.

What are the colors of the Tajik flag?

The combination of red, white and green colors has its own meaning and name. They are used on the flags of most Iranian states and peoples, so they are called Pan-Iranian colors and symbolize the beginning of the Iranian-speaking peoples. They have their roots in ancient times. It is from them that the interpretation of the military nobility, clergy, and pastoralists comes. However, modern Iranian peoples have different interpretations of the meanings of the Pahlavi colors.

What countries have a flag similar to Tajikistan's? Who else uses Pahran colors?

In addition to Tajikistan, the red, white, and green tricolor is also found on flags:

• Iran - Pahlavi colors in the sequence: green, white, red, as well as the Tauhid symbol in the middle of the flag, which means "lā ʾilāha ʾillā l-Lāh" (There is no God but Allah);
• Kurdistan - has the same color sequence as the flag of Tajikistan - red, white, green. However, instead of a crown with stars, it depicts the sun, an ancient religious symbol of the Kurds, which has 21 rays of equal size and shape. The number 21 symbolizes the Yazdani religious traditions of the Kurds.

History of the Tajik flag

The earliest references to the use of flags by Tajik ancestors are preserved in the Avesta. For example, in the first chapter of the Rig Veda, Bactria is characterized as "beautiful, with flags raised high". Some researchers suggest that the flags mentioned in the Avesta are similar to the famous "Cavian flags" of later times or to the ancient Roman "vexillum" - square flags hanging from a horizontal bar attached to a spear, like modern church banners. 

The Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was established on October 14, 1924. According to the resolution of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the Tajik ASSR of February 23, 1929, the national flag was a red cloth with the state emblem in the upper left corner, consisting of a golden dosa (Tajik sickle) and hammer placed crosswise with their arms down and placed on a five-pointed star, on which the sun rises in the blue sky from behind snow-covered mountains. The star is surrounded by a crown of ears of wheat on the right and a branch of cotton on the left against an orange background. The crown is tied at the bottom with a red ribbon.

Below the star is an inscription in Russian: "Proletarians of all countries, unite!". Above the star is the same slogan in Persian: "پرالتارهای همۀ جهان یک شوید". All inscriptions are arranged in a semicircle on a golden crescent-shaped ribbon.

In the period from 1931 to 1946, the flag had a similar design and differed little. With the unification of the Republic of Tajikistan and the adoption of the new Constitution on February 25, 1931, its flag was a red cloth with the inscription "ÇSS Toçikiston". Later, a hammer and sickle were added to the inscription, and later the inscription was changed to the Tajik "RSS Toçikiston" and the Russian "Tajik SSR".

From 1953 to 1991, the flag took on a new look. It was now divided into two parts: the upper part was red with a hammer, sickle and star above it, and the lower part had two stripes of white and green, with the white stripe twice as wide as the green one. The white color symbolizes the cultivation of cotton, and the green color symbolizes other agricultural products.

In 1991, all the symbols were removed from the flag, leaving only the color composition, changing the tone of red to light. Finally, on November 24, 1992, the flag acquired its modern look: a red, white, and green tricolor with a golden crown and seven stars in the middle.