Flag of Afghanistan
This flag of Afghanistan has three vertical stripes of black, red and green, with a white emblem of a mosque in a wreath of wheat in the middle. Since 2021 Afghanistan's Taliban government has used a different, white flag.
At a glance
- Adopted
- August 19, 2013the black, red and green tricolour with the national emblem, in its 2013 form; similar tricolours go back to 1928. Since August 2021 the Taliban government uses a white flag with the shahada instead
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Kabul
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- black
- red
- green
- white (emblem)
What it means
- Black: a common explanation is the troubled past of the 19th century
- Red: the blood shed in the fight for independence
- Green: hope and prosperity, and also Islam
- Emblem: the mosque stands for Islam and the wheat for farming; these meanings are explained in different ways by different sources
Where it came from
The black, red and green colours were first used by King Amanullah Khan in 1928, after a trip to Europe. His first version had horizontal stripes, a little like the German flag of that time.
The emblem in the centre shows a mosque with a mihrab (prayer niche) and a pulpit, surrounded by sheaves of wheat. A mosque emblem first appeared on an Afghan flag in 1901, and wheat was added in 1928.
History
Afghanistan has changed its national flag many times since the early 1900s, under kings, a republic, communist governments and the Taliban.
This tricolour was used by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2004, with small changes to the emblem in 2013. In August 2021 the Taliban took power and brought back their white flag with the shahada, the Islamic statement of faith, written in black. The tricolour is still used at the United Nations, by many Afghan embassies, at the Olympics and by many Afghans living abroad.
Fun facts
- It is often said that Afghanistan changed its national flag more times in the 1900s than almost any other country.
- In 1996 and 1997 the Taliban flag was plain white, one of only two national flags in the world with no design at all. The other was Libya's plain green flag.
- The emblem in the middle has a tiny date written on it: 1298 in the solar Islamic calendar, the year of independence (1919).
Easy to mix up with
Belgium: Belgium also has three vertical stripes starting with black, but they are black, yellow and red with no emblem
Questions
What does the flag of Afghanistan look like?
This flag of Afghanistan has three vertical stripes of black, red and green, with a white emblem of a mosque in a wreath of wheat in the middle. Since 2021 Afghanistan's Taliban government has used a different, white flag.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Afghanistan mean?
Black: a common explanation is the troubled past of the 19th century; Red: the blood shed in the fight for independence; Green: hope and prosperity, and also Islam; Emblem: the mosque stands for Islam and the wheat for farming; these meanings are explained in different ways by different sources.
When was the flag of Afghanistan adopted?
The current flag of Afghanistan was adopted on August 19, 2013. (the black, red and green tricolour with the national emblem, in its 2013 form; similar tricolours go back to 1928. Since August 2021 the Taliban government uses a white flag with the shahada instead)
What colours are on the flag of Afghanistan?
The flag of Afghanistan uses black, red, green and white (emblem).
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Afghanistan?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Belgium. Belgium also has three vertical stripes starting with black, but they are black, yellow and red with no emblem
Famous landmarks in Afghanistan
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)