The flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

 of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

(Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

: بيرق افغانستان, Pashto

Pashto language

Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...

: د افغانستان بيرغ) was adopted by the transitional government of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan in 2002–2004. This flag is similar to the one flown in Afghanistan during the monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

 between 1930 and 1973. The difference is the addition of the shahadah at the top of the coat of arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 (seen in gold/yellow) in the center. The new flag was adopted January 4, 2004. This flag consists of three stripes of the colors black, red, and green. This has been present on most flags of Afghanistan in the last twenty years. The center emblem is the classical emblem of Afghanistan

Emblem of Afghanistan

The national emblem of Afghanistan has appeared in some form on the flag of Afghanistan since the inception of that nation.The latest incarnation of the coat of arms has the added inscription of the shahadah in Arabic at the top. Below it is the image of a mosque with a mehrab that is facing Mecca...

 with a mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

 with its mihrab

Mihrab

A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...

 facing Mecca

Mecca

Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...

.

The pre-Taliban-era and Afghan Northern Alliance flag featured the same emblem, but with green, white and black horizontal stripes instead.

Afghanistan has had more changes of its national flag during the 20th century than any other country in the whole world. It has had a massive 20 different flags since the first flag in 1747. In only 4 years (1926–1930), Afghanistan had 7 flag changes - many of these flags were used as the nation's flags for only a few months.

Historical flags

Years of Use	Flag	Ratio	Government	Notes
1747–1826		2:3	Durrani Empire Durrani Empire The Durrani Empire was a Pashtun dynasty centered in Afghanistan and included northeastern Iran, the Kashmir region, the modern state of Pakistan, and northwestern India. It was established at Kandahar in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander under Nader Shah of Persia and chief...	Flag flown under the rule of Ahmad Shah Baba Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shah Durrani , also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī and born as Ahmad Khān, was the founder of the Durrani Empire in 1747 and is regarded by many to be the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan.Ahmad Khan enlisted as a young soldier in the military of the Afsharid kingdom and quickly rose...  and his dynasty.
1826–1880	No official flag during this period.		Emirate of Afghanistan Emirate of Afghanistan The Emirate of Afghanistan began with the end of the Durrani Empire and the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan in 1823 and ended when Amir Amanullah Khan became Shah in 1926. This period was characterized by the expansion of European colonial interests in Central Asia...	Prior to 1880, the Barakzai dynasty Barakzai dynasty The Barakzai dynasty ruled Afghanistan from 1826 until 1929 or 1973 when the monarchy rule finally ended under Mohammad Zahir Shah. The Barakzai dynasty was established by Dost Mohammad Khan after the Durrani dynasty of Ahmad Shah Durrani was removed from power...  did not use the flag associated with the Durranis, or an official alternative.
1880–1901		2:3	Emirate of Afghanistan	Flag flown under the rule of (Hazrat Imam Mahdi army will be pashtun and they will be holding black flags) Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan Abdur Rahman Khan was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901.The third son of Mohammad Afzal Khan, and grandson of Dost Mohammad Khan, Abdur Rahman Khan was considered a strong ruler who re-established the writ of the Afghan government in Kabul after the disarray that followed the second... .
1901–1919		3:5	Emirate of Afghanistan	State and war flag flown under the rule of Habibullah Khan. Habibullah added to his father’s flag a seal that is the precursor of the modern-day seal Emblem of Afghanistan The national emblem of Afghanistan has appeared in some form on the flag of Afghanistan since the inception of that nation.The latest incarnation of the coat of arms has the added inscription of the shahadah in Arabic at the top. Below it is the image of a mosque with a mehrab that is facing Mecca... .
1919–1926		2:3	Emirate of Afghanistan	First flag flown under the rule of Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change... . He expanded upon his father’s flag by adding rays emanating from the seal in the form of an octogram Rub El Hizb The Rub el Hizb is a Muslim symbol, represented as two overlapping squares, which is found on a number of emblems and flags. In Arabic, Rubʻ means "one fourth, quarter", while Hizb means a group or party... . This new style of seal was common in the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries... . Afghanistan became a kingdom in 1926.
1926–1928		2:3	Kingdom of Afghanistan Kingdom of Afghanistan The Kingdom of Afghanistan was an Islamic monarchy in south Central Asia established in 1926 as a successor state to the Emirate of Afghanistan, following the ascension to the throne by Amanullah Khan and his proclaming Afghanistan a kingdom in 1926, after 7 years on the throne...	Second flag flown under the rule of Amanullah Shah Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change... . He replaced the octogram with a wreath and slightly modified the national seal Emblem of Afghanistan The national emblem of Afghanistan has appeared in some form on the flag of Afghanistan since the inception of that nation.The latest incarnation of the coat of arms has the added inscription of the shahadah in Arabic at the top. Below it is the image of a mosque with a mehrab that is facing Mecca... .
1928		3:5	Kingdom of Afghanistan	Third flag flown under the rule of Amanullah Shah Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change... . The black, red, and green tricolor Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours... , respectively representing the past (previous flags), the bloodshed for independence (Third Anglo-Afghan War Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War began on 6 May 1919 and ended with an armistice on 8 August 1919. It was a minor tactical victory for the British. For the British, the Durand Line was reaffirmed as the political boundary between the Emirate of Afghanistan and British India and the Afghans agreed not to... ), and hope for the future, was probably influenced by Khan’s visit abroad to Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...  in 1927.
1928–1929		2:3	Kingdom of Afghanistan	Fourth flag flown under the rule of Amanullah Shah Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change... . The new seal shows the sun rising over two snow-capped mountains, representing a new beginning for the kingdom Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected... .
1929		2:3	Kingdom of Afghanistan	Flag flown under the rule of Habibullah Kalakani or Habibullah Khan, formerly known as Bacha-i-Saqao. The red, black, and white tricolor Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...  was the same flag that was used when modern-day Afghanistan was under Mongol Mongols Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...  occupation in the 13th century.
1929–1930		2:3	Kingdom of Afghanistan	First flag flown under the rule of Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammed Nadir Shah was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in 1933. Previously, he served as Minister of War, Afghan Ambassador to France, and as a general in the military of Afghanistan... . The black, red, and green tricolor Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...  was re-established; the octogram seal borrowed from the first flag of Amanullah Shah Amanullah Khan Amanullah Khan was the King of the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, first as Amir and after 1926 as Shah. He led Afghanistan to independence over its foreign affairs from the United Kingdom, and his rule was marked by dramatic political and social change...  replaced the sun and mountains seal.
1930–1973		2:3	Kingdom of Afghanistan	Second flag flown under the rule of Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammed Nadir Shah Mohammed Nadir Shah was King of Afghanistan from 15 October 1929 until his assassination in 1933. Previously, he served as Minister of War, Afghan Ambassador to France, and as a general in the military of Afghanistan... , it was also used by his son, Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973... . The black, red, and green tricolor Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours...  were retained. The octogram rays were removed, and the seal enlarged. In between the mosque and the seal is the year ١٣٤٨ (1348 of the lunar Islamic calendar Islamic calendar The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic... , or 1929 AD of the Gregorian calendar Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... ) the year Mohammed Nadir Shah’s dynasty Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...  began.
1973–1974		2:3	Republic of Afghanistan	First flag flown for the Republic of Afghanistan. It is identical to the previous flag, except that the year ١٣٤٨ was removed.
1974–1978		2:3	Republic of Afghanistan	Second flag flown for the Republic of Afghanistan. The same colors were used, but the meanings reinterpreted: black for the obscure past, red for blood shed for independence, and green for prosperity from agriculture. In the canton is a new seal, with an eagle with spread wings, a pulpit on the eagle’s chest (for a mosque), wheat surrounding the eagle, and the sun’s rays above the eagle (for the new republic).
1978		2:3	Democratic Republic of Afghanistan Democratic Republic of Afghanistan The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan was a government of Afghanistan between 1978 and 1992. It was both ideologically close to and economically dependent on the Soviet Union, and was a major belligerent of the Afghan Civil War.- Saur Revolution :...	When the leader of the republic was killed in a coup, the new regime established a communist Communism Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...  government. The same flag design was kept, but no seal.
1978–1980		1:2	Democratic Republic of Afghanistan	This flag used a red field with a yellow seal in the canton, a common design for communist regimes. The wreath of wheat remained, but a star was added at top (representing the five ethnic groups of the nation) and the word 'Khalq Khalq Khalq was a faction of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. Its historical leaders were Presidents Nur Muhammad Taraki and Hafizullah Amin. It was also the name of the leftist newspaper produced by the same movement. It was supported by the USSR and was formed in 1965 when the PDPA was born... ' in Arabic script (meaning people) in the center. The flag was also the flag of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan's Khalq faction under President Nur Muhammad Taraki until his murder in September 1979.
1980–1987		1:2	Democratic Republic of Afghanistan	After the overthrow of the Khalq faction by the Parcham Parcham Parcham was the name of one of the factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. The Parcham faction seized power in the country after toppling Hafizullah Amin....  faction (led by Benjarat Lipnt), the flag was changed again. The overthrow occurred in December 1979. The new leadership re-established the black, red, and green tricolor Tricolour A tricolour is a flag or banner more-or-less equally divided into three bands of differing colours... , representing the past, blood shed for independence, and the Islamic faith Islam Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... , respectively. A new seal was designed, with a rising sun (a reference to the former name, Khorasan Greater Khorasan Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran... , meaning "Land of the Rising Sun"), a pulpit and the Qur'an Qur'an The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...  for Islam, ribbons with the national colors, a cogwheel for industry, and a red star for communism.
1987–1992		1:2	Republic Republic A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...  of Afghanistan	Same as the previous flag, except that in the national seal, the cogwheel is moved from the top to the bottom, the red star and the book are removed, and the green field curved to resemble the horizon.
1992		1:2	Republic of Afghanistan	This flag was used as a provisional flag after the fall of the pro-Soviet regime. It appeared in many variants of which one is shown here. In the upper stripe is Arabic Allahu Akbar, (“God is great”); the center stripe contains the Shahadah.
1992–1996		1:2	Islamic State of Afghanistan Islamic State of Afghanistan The Islamic State of Afghanistan was the name of the state of Afghanistan after the collapse of the communist regime, the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, in 1992. In 1996, the country was renamed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban, after seizing control of the majority of the...	The black and green stripes are switched from the previous flag. Also, the Shahadah is written with in a logo. This flag, for the first time since 1928, replaced the red color of nationalism and tribalism with the three colors of green, white and black, which were raised by Muslims in the past. The three colors of green white and black can be seen on several Muslim nations' flags. At the bottom part of the logo it was written "دا افغانستان اسلامی دولت", 'The Islamic State of Afghanistan'.
1996–1997		2:3	Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was founded in 1996 when the Taliban began their rule of Afghanistan and ended with their fall from power in 2001...	A plain white flag was flown by the Taliban.
1997–2001		2:3	Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan	In 1997 the Taliban added the Shahadah on the flag.
2001–2002		1:2	Islamic State Islamic State An Islamic state is a type of government, in which the primary basis for government is Islamic religious law...  of Afghanistan	The 1992 Flag was re-adopted after the Taliban regime was deposed.
2002–2004		1:2	Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan	This flag consists of three vertical stripes of the colors black, red, and green. This has been present on most flags of Afghanistan in the last twenty years. The center emblem is the classical emblem of Afghanistan with a mosque with its mihrab facing Mecca. This flag is similar to the one flown in Afghanistan during the monarchy between 1930 and 1973. The difference is the addition of the shahadah at the top of the coat-of-arms (seen in white) in the center. It now shows the year ١۲۹٨ (1298), the solar Islamic calendar equivalent of 1919 AD of the Gregorian Calendar Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... , the year of independence from Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... . There was an unofficial variation with a gold emblem.
2004–Present		2:3	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan	Similar to the previous flag, but a different ratio. "دا افغانستان اسلامی دولت" The Islamic State of Afghanistan has been replaced with simply "افغانستان" Afghanistan.

External links

• Afghantribes: Afghan National Flags Timeline
• Encyclopedia Iranica: FLAGS OF AFGHANISTAN
• Flag of Afghanistan
• Flags of Afghanistan