Flag of Tajikistan

What the flag of Tajikistan looks like

The national flag of Tajikistan has three horizontal stripes: red at the top, white in the middle and green at the bottom. The stripes are not equal. Red and green are each two parts of the height and white is three parts, so the white band is half again as wide as the others. The flag itself is twice as long as it is tall (a 1:2 ratio), which is longer than most national flags.

In the center of the white stripe is a golden crown with a gently curved base and a raised middle. Above it, seven five-pointed golden stars form a semicircle, like a small arc of light. The same crown and stars appear on the national coat of arms.

Red, white and green appear on several flags of the region, but the unequal stripes and the crown make this one easy to recognize. The flag is also available as the Tajikistan flag emoji and in several formats on the download page.

Tajikistan flag meaning and symbolism

The state describes the colors in terms of nature and the nation. Red is usually explained as the color of the sun, victory and the unity of the people. White stands for purity and is linked to cotton, the country's main crop, and to the snow and ice of the Pamir and other mountain ranges, which cover most of Tajikistan. Green represents nature, the fertile valleys and agriculture of the land, and is also commonly linked to Islam.

The crown is commonly read as a symbol of the Tajik people. It is not tied to a monarchy; it recalls the Samanid state of the 9th and 10th centuries, a Persian-speaking dynasty that Tajik national tradition treats as its first state. The seven stars are explained in different ways. The most common version says that seven is a number of perfection and happiness in Tajik and Persian culture. Another connects it to the seven regions or the seven mountain ranges of the country. Because these explanations are traditional, they are best treated as popular interpretations, not fixed law.

History of the Tajikistan flag

Before the 20th century, the Tajik lands were ruled by the emirate of Bukhara and the khanate of Kokand, each with its own banners. Tajikistan then became part of the Russian Empire and, after 1917, the Soviet Union. In 1929 it became a full Soviet republic, and its flags in the following decades were red banners with Soviet emblems.

In 1953 the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic got a new flag: a red field with a hammer, sickle and star, plus a narrow white stripe and a wide green stripe along the bottom. That design flew until the end of Soviet rule. After the Soviet Union dissolved, Tajikistan declared independence in September 1991. The Soviet emblems were dropped, and on 24 November 1992 the country adopted the present red, white and green flag with the crown and seven stars, replacing the Soviet-era design.

The flag was adopted in the middle of a civil war that lasted until 1997. Its symbols were designed to belong to all Tajiks regardless of region. The flag has not been changed since. The flag is most visible on Independence Day, 9 September.

Tajikistan flag and its neighbors

Tajikistan borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Tajik is a language close to Persian, and the Tajik flag is one of the few in Central Asia that uses red and green together. For other flags of the region, see flags of Asia.