Colors and the Meaning of the Afghanistan Flag
The national flag of Afghanistan was officially used in 2004. The country is one of the countries that have changed the flag several times until today. The reason for the frequent change of flag is the political conflict and the fact that a regular political structure has not been in power for years.
The black line on the flag is used for dark days in the past, the red line is used for the blood spilled in independence, and the green line is used for prosperity and abundance in agriculture.
History of the Afghanistan Flag
Between 750 and 1250, the Flag of Afghanistan was all black. Despite the reign of Turkish states such as the Great Seljuk State, Ghaznavids, and Kharzem Shah, Afghanistan was influenced by the flag of the Abbasid State and chose the same black color. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Afghanistan was subjected to brutal Mongol attacks and the Mongols took over the country.
Ḥabībullāh Khan ruled Afghanistan between 1901-1919. He ordered the flag to insert mihrab (niche of a mosque indicating the direction of Mecca), a pulpit, two hyacinths, an Ottoman fez, and some weapons. This flag was used only in the army, customs buildings and kingdom palace.
During the reign of Amanullah Khan between 1919 and 1929, he added an eight-pointed star to the flag. In 1926, two branches of oak were added to replace the eight-pointed star in the flag, which was very common in Afghanistan and symbolized the abundance of agriculture at that time.
In 1928, Amanullah Khan’s visit to Europe caused the flag to change again. Impressed by the experience in Europe, Amanullah Khan used other colors for the first time in the history of Afghanistan. The new flag consists of three vertical colors. The red color symbolizes the blood of the citizens of the country, the black color the sad history, the green color the future. It was also used in the official flag of the sun on the snowy mountains, which symbolized the country’s optimism and hope to look to the future.
Communism in Afghanistan
In 1929, as a result of local resistance, Amanullah Khan was deposed and Mohammed Nadir Shah came to the throne.
Nadir Shah brought back the star of the Ottoman Empire and the tricolor flag, the discovery of Amanullah.
For the first time, however, he ordered the writing of Hijri and Gregorian dates into the new flag. It is written in Arabic, Hijri 1348 on the flag. This corresponds to the period of Gloria 1929. This decision lasted until 1931 with the constitution.
In 1973, the Constitution of the country changed and Mohammad Daud Khan became President of the Republic. In 1978 the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan came to power with the coup.
For the first time in the same year, the colors of the flag and the emblem of the flag were re-created under the red color, the word “people” were written as a seal and the symbol of communist resistance was added to the star.
In January 1979, the breakdown of relations between Hafizullah Amin’s government and the Soviet Union caused the Soviet Union to enter the territory of Afghanistan.
In early 1980, Babrak Karmal came to power and the Afghan Mujahideen emerged against him. These insurgents had a great victory against the forces of the Soviet Union in 1989 and severely defeated Soviet forces. However, a disagreement arose between the Mujahideen and the dispute continued until the Taliban Movement was born.
In 1996, Taliban Movement dominated the capital of Kabul, and the flag was only used for the first time in its history. On the flag it is written “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” symbolizing Islam.
September 11 Attacks
On 11 November 2001, the capital Kabul was taken over by NATO forces on November 13, 2001. This flag is made up of three vertical stripes and is black and green. There is a white mosque in the middle of the banner and there is also a messiah in the mosque. On January 7, 2004, the flag was raised in a ceremony followed by the majority of the population.
Abdul Bari Jahani’s words and the composition of the “National Surood” made by Babrak Wassa was the national anthem of Afghanistan. This national anthem was formalized in May 2006 by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan
Afghanistan, which is a borderless country in Central Asia, borders with Pakistan in the east and south, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and a small border in China in the east.
Main Characteristics of Afghanistan
The capital of Afghanistan, which is located in the Middle East and which does not have a sea limit, is Kabul. It has a population of around 36 million. It has been accepted as Afghani and Persian as the official language in Afghanistan. Afghan is used as a currency in Afghanistan.
The days are long in Afghanistan. It is also very hot because of being a country in the Middle East. The winters also experience extreme cold. Rainfall is usually seen as snow in November and April.
| Country | Afghanistan |
| Code | AF (AFG) |
| Calling code | 93 |
| Capital city | Kabul |
| Currency | afghan afghani (AFN) |
| Emoji symbol | 🇦🇫 |
| Highest point | Noshaq (7,492 m) |
| Internet TLD | .af |
| Population(2018) | 36,647,946 |
| Total area | 652,090 km2 |