The Mighty Turkish Flag

In Turkey, you will see the Turkish flag pretty much everywhere. Turkey is very proud of their flag and country hence, why it can be seen flying from people's balcony’s, city buildings and public parks.

Flag of Turkey

The flag of Turkey (Turkish: Türk Bayrağı) is a red flag with a white star and a crescent. The star is a pentagonal star. Since the foundation of Turkey, the flag has been the national flag of the country. The flag was copied from the flag of the Ottoman Empire in 1844. In 1936 the flag was standardised. The flag is also called Ay Yildiz in Turkish. This means "moon star". The moon and star on the Turkish flag are Islamic symbols and are both important.

History of the Flag

Between 1780 and 1820 the star and the crescent were present on the Ottoman flag which was green. In 1844 the colour changed from green to red, as it now. At the foundation of present-day Turkey (Republic of Turkey), it was decided to use the last Ottoman flag as a Republic of Turkey flag. This was the red flag with a star and a half-moon. 

The meaning behind the flag:

The founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, explained the meaning of the flag. According to him, many people had died in the struggle for independence and one evening a large pool of blood was lying on the street. The star and the crescent moon would shine on that pool of blood and the symbolic nature of this means that the flag is also red.

Where can you see the flag?

The Turkish flag is always displayed in government institutions such as schools, parliament buildings, town halls, shopping malls and many more places. For important events or national holidays, the Turkish flag is strung across roads and highways and citizens tend to carry small flags around with them at the celebrations. The Turkish military uniform also has a Turkish flag on it.