Flag of Iran
Three horizontal stripes of green, white and red, with a red emblem in the centre and a white Arabic phrase repeated 22 times along the stripe edges.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 1980the current version was adopted in July 1980, after the 1979 revolution; the green-white-red tricolour itself dates from the early 1900s
- Shape (height : width)
- 4:7
- Capital
- Tehran
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- green
- white
- red
What it means
- Central emblem: the word Allah, made of four crescents and a sword; it is also often said to look like a tulip, a symbol of martyrs
- 22 takbirs ("God is the greatest"): 11 on the green edge and 11 on the red edge; they are said to recall 22 Bahman, the date in the Iranian calendar when the revolution won
- Green, white, red: no single official meaning; commonly Islam or the land (green), peace (white) and courage or sacrifice (red)
Where it came from
Green, white and red have been Iran's colours for more than a century; the first tricolour was set out in the early 1900s. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the old lion-and-sun emblem was removed and a new emblem, credited to Hamid Nadimi, was put in the middle.
The emblem is made of four crescents and a sword, drawn so that together they form the Arabic word for God, Allah.
History
For centuries Iran's main symbol was the lion and sun, which became the recognised emblem of Iran in the Safavid era. It sat in the middle of the tricolour, often with a crown, until the monarchy ended in 1979.
The new government saw the lion and sun as a symbol of the shah, so it replaced it in 1980. Many opponents of the government still use the older lion-and-sun flag.
Fun facts
- The phrase "Allahu Akbar" is written 22 times on the flag.
- A bronze standard from about 2400 BC, found at Shahdad in Kerman province, is one of the oldest known flags in the world.
- The flag is quite long: 4 units tall and 7 units wide.
Easy to mix up with
Tajikistan: Tajikistan uses red, white and green from top to bottom with a crown and stars
Hungary: Hungary is red, white and green from top to bottom with no emblem
Bulgaria: Bulgaria is white, green and red with no emblem
Questions
What does the flag of Iran look like?
Three horizontal stripes of green, white and red, with a red emblem in the centre and a white Arabic phrase repeated 22 times along the stripe edges.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Iran mean?
Central emblem: the word Allah, made of four crescents and a sword; it is also often said to look like a tulip, a symbol of martyrs; 22 takbirs ("God is the greatest"): 11 on the green edge and 11 on the red edge; they are said to recall 22 Bahman, the date in the Iranian calendar when the revolution won; Green, white, red: no single official meaning; commonly Islam or the land (green), peace (white) and courage or sacrifice (red).
When was the flag of Iran adopted?
The current flag of Iran was adopted on 1980. (the current version was adopted in July 1980, after the 1979 revolution; the green-white-red tricolour itself dates from the early 1900s)
What colours are on the flag of Iran?
The flag of Iran uses green, white and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Iran?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Tajikistan. Tajikistan uses red, white and green from top to bottom with a crown and stars
Famous landmarks in Iran
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)