Flag of Iran

Flag of Iran

Name	Third Colour Flag
Use	National flag and ensign
Proportion	4:7
Adopted	29 July 1980
Design	A horizontal tricolour of red, white, and green charged with the emblem of Iran in red centred on the white stripe. The takbir is written in white a total of 22 times on the fringe of both the green and red bands in the Kufic script.
Variant flag of Iran
Name	Interim Flag
Use	National flag and ensign
Proportion	4:7
Adopted	4 February 1979
Variant flag of Iran
Name	Lion and Sun Flag
Use	National flag and ensign
Proportion	4:7
Adopted	28 May 1964

The current flag of Iran (Persian: پرچم ایران) was adopted on July 29, 1980, and is a reflection of the changes brought about by the Iranian Revolution. The emblem in the center of the flag is a highly stylized composite of various Islamic elements: Allah, there is no god but Allah, and a tulip.

The coat of arms of Iran has been placed in the center of the white band which is meant to have multiple meanings, but is essentially a geometrically symmetric form of the word Allah as well as overlapping parts of the Islamic phrase "la ilaha illa Allah" ("There is no god but Allah"), forming a monogram.

The symbol consists of four crescents and a line. The four crescents form the word Allah: from right to left the first crescent is the letter "Aleph", the second one is the letter "Laam", the line (straight line) is the second "Laam", and the third and forth crescents together form the letter "Heh". Above the line (central part) is a tashdid (a diacritical mark for gemination resembling a letter W). The shape of the emblem is chosen to remind people of a red tulip, for the memory of the (young) people who died for Iran, building on a legendary belief that red tulips grow on the blood of martyrs, valuing patriotism and self-sacrifice. The symbol was designed by Hamid Nadimi, and was officially approved by Ayatollah Khomeini on May 9, 1980.

A further change to the flag following the Revolution has been the addition of writing on the borders between the white, and the green and red bands reading, Allahu Akbar ("God is great") in a stylized version of the Kufic script used for the Qur'an. There are 22 (2×11) copies of this inscription, symbolic of the 22nd day of the 11th month (Bahman) in the Persian calendar—the date of the Islamic revolution (22 Bahman 1357 = February 11, 1979) over the Pahlavi dynasty. The addition of this writing renders the flag non-reversible.

Physical requirements for the Iranian flag, the exact shape of the emblem and a compass and straightedge construction are described in the national Iranian standard ISIRI 1 (in Persian).

Interpretation of colours

History

Iranian flags
Historical
Falcon Standard of Cyrus the Great.
Reconstruction of the flag adopted by Mahmud (998–1030).
Flag of Safavid Dynasty under Ismail I (1501-1524).
Flag of Safavid Dynasty under Tahmasp I, (1524-1576).
Flag of Safavid Dynasty after Ismail II (1576-1732).

Flags, standards and banners have always been important national and imperial symbols for Iranians, both in war and peace. Xenophon tells us that Cyrus the Great's standard was a golden eagle with spread wings mounted on a long shaft.

The best-known symbol of Iran in recent centuries, however, has been the lion and sun motif, which is a graphic expression of the astrological configuration of the sun in the house of Leo, although both celestial and animal figures independently have a long history in Iranian heraldry.

Late in the nineteenth century an earlier scimitar motif was combined with the lion and sun and superimposed on a tricolour of green, white and red, and, with minor modifications, this remained the official flag until the revolution of 1979.

Achaemenid Empire

During the Achaemenid era, especially at the time of Cyrus the Great, the Persian Imperial Flag was made of up of a kite-like image, rectangular in shape, split into four equivalent triangles. Each two of these four train triangles had the same colour.

In the excavations at Persepolis, archaeologists have found a standard, depicting a falcon (shahin) with open wings, regarding which the current belief is that this was the official flag of Iran under Cyrus the Great and his heirs.

Sassanid Empire

See main article: Derafsh Kaviani

The Flag at this historical juncture was again made of rectangular leather, covered with a thin layer of silk ornamented with jewels, in the center of which there was a four cornered star, pointing to the four corners of the world. This is the same star referred to as Akhtare Kaviani (the Kaviani star) by Ferdowsi in the epics of Shahnameh (the Book of Kings). This Flag was larger than the original Derafshe Kaviani installed on a long ploo, the tip of which was shown above the blah. At the bottom of this flag there were woven strings of yellow, magenta and scarlet, hanging from them were large jewels. The flag was destroyed by Arabs after the decisive Sassanid defeat against invading Muslim Arabs.

Islamic Iran

The Sassanid empire collapsed with the emergence of an Islamic Empire in the Middle East. Since Islam strictly prohibited figurative or other expressive symbols as idol worship, all the traditional symbology used in Iranian flags was eliminated. Throughout this period there were no fixed flags within Iran and the use of Islamic banners was common.

Ghaznavid Dynasty

Mahmud of Ghaznavid (998–1030) reinstated the use of symbolic expressions on the Iranian flag. The flag developed by Mahmud contained an inscribed golden moon drawn on a solid black background.

A second flag has been attributed to the Ghaznavid Empire, with a silver crescent moon and a peacock on a green field. [4]

Safavid Dynasty

The Safavid Dynasty (1501–1736) designed three different flags. Each three flags was green but with different emblem. Ismail I, the first king of the Safavid Dynasty designed a green flag with a golden full moon on top. This flag designed on 1501 and stayed to 1524. After Ismail I, Tahmasp I designed a green flag too but with an emblem resembling with a sheep and a sun. This flag was used from 1524 to 1576. Ismail II then changed the flag, to a green flag with a lion and sun emblem embroidered in gold. This flag was abided until the end of the Safavid Dynasty. This was the first time the famous Lion and Sun flag was used. In the Safavid period the lion and sun stood for two pillars of the society: the state and religion. Although various alams and banners were employed by the Safavids (especially during the reign of the first two kings), by the time of Shah Abbas I the Lion and Sun symbol had become one of the most popular emblems of Iran and it has been a famous emblem until 1979.

Flag of Iran carried by the Persian delegation during Mohammad-Reza Beg’s visit to Versailles, August 1715

The Safavid interpretation of this symbol is believed to have been based on a combination of mythohistories and tales such as Shahnameh, stories of prophets and other Islamic sources. For the Safavids the king (shah) had two meanings; he was both a king and holy character. This double-meaning was associated with the genealogy of Iranian kings. Two male figures were key people to this paternity: Jamshid (mythical founder of ancient Persian kingdom) and Ali (first Shi'a Imam). Jamshid was affiliated with the sun and Ali was affiliated with the lion (as he was called "The Lion of God"). The association may originally have been based on a learned interpretation of the Shahnameh's references to "the Sun of Iran" and "the Moon of the Turanians". Since the crescent moon had been adopted as the dynastic and ultimately national emblem of the Ottoman sultans , who were the new sovereigns of "Rum", the Safavids of Iran, needing to have a dynastic and national emblem of their own, chose the Lion and Sun motif. Besides, the sun had two other important meaning for the Safavid world: the sense of time organized around the solar system which was distinct from Arabo-Islamic lunar system. Astrological meaning and the sense of cosmos mediated through that. Through the zodiac the sun was linked to Leo. Therefore for the Safavids, the sign of lion and sun condense the double meaning of the royal and holy figure of the shah (Jamshid and Ali) through the auspicious zodiac sign of the sun and Leo, bringing the cosmic-earthy pair (king and Imam) together.

In seeking the Safavid interpretation of the Lion and Sun motif, Shahbazi suggests that "the Safavids had reinterpreted the lion as symbolizing Imam ʿAlī and the sun as typifying the "glory of religion", a substitute for the ancient farr-e dīn." They reintroduced the ancient concept of God-given Glory (farr) to justify their rulership. They attributed such qualities to Ali and sought the king genealogy through the Shiʿite fourth Imam's mother to the royal Sassanian house.

Afsharid Dynasty

After Safavid Dynasty, Afsharid Dynasty was founded.Nadir Shah, First King of Afsahrid Dynasty designed two flag.First for state and Second for himself.These flag abided until 1747.The royal seal of Nader Shah in 1746 was the lion and sun motif. In this seal, the sun bears the word Al-Molkollah (Arabic: The earth of God).

Zand Dynasty

Karim Khan founded Zand Dynasty after Afsharid Dynasty and designed a new flag of state.A triangular white flag with a green border and the Lion and Sun in the centre. Two swords of Karim Khan Zand have gold-inlaid inscriptions which refer to the: "…celestial lion…points to the astrological relationship to the Zodiac sign of Leo...." Another record of this motif, is the Lion and Sun symbol, on a tombstone of a Zands soldier.

Qajar Dynasty

After coronation of Mohammad Khan Qajar in Tehran, he designed a red flag and the Lion and Sun emblem was altered to include a sword.After that Amir Kabir, famous Chancellor of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar designed a tricolour flag.Green band on the top and a thin red band on the bottom. This was the direct ancestor of the modern Iranian tricolour.

Flag of Iran during (Fath Ali Shah) reign in the early 19th century depicted by Drouville

First tricolor flag of Iran (1886)

Introduced sometime between 1848 and 1852, during the reign of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar.After Iranian Constitutional Revolution, Parliament designed a new flag. The colours were given symbolic meanings: Green represented Islam, red represented the blood of the martyrs, and white represented peace and Zoroastrianism. This flag abided until founded of Imperial State of Iran in 1925. The earliest known Qajar's lion and sun symbol is on the coinage of Aqa Mohammad Shah Qajar and minted in 1796 on the occasion of Shah's coronation. The coin bears the name of the new king underneath the sun and Ali (the first Shi'ite Imam) underneath the lion belly. Both names are invoked and this coin suggest that this motif still stands for the king (sun) and religion (lion), "Iranization and Imamification of sovereignty". In the Qajar period the emblem can be found on Jewish marriage certificates (ketubas) and Shi'ite mourning of muharram banners. In the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of 1906, the lion and sun motif in the flag of Iran was described as a passant lion that holds a sabre in its paw and with the sun in its background. A decree dated September 4, 1910 specified the exact details of the logo, including the lion's tail ("like an italic S"), the position and the size of the lion, his pawn, sword, and the sun.

Najmabadi observes a parallel symbolism on wall hangings produced between the lion/sun and Reza Khan/mother homeland, after Reza Khan successful coup. The coy sun is protected by the lion and Rezakhan is the hero who should protect the mother homeland.Under Reza Shah the sun female facial features was removed and the sun was portrayed more realistic and merely with rays. In the military contexts Pahlavi crown was added to the motif. Pahlavis adopted the lion and sun emblem from Qajars, but they replaced the Qajar Crown with the Pahlavi Crown. Pahlavis reintroduced the Persian symbolism to the motif. As it is discussed, in Persian traditions, the lion had been the symbol of kingship and symbol of Rustam's heroism in Shahnama.

Imperial State of Iran

Reza Shah was crowned in 1925 and founded the Imperial State of Iran (also known as thePahlavi Dynasty) and parliament designed a new flag. First a Civil Flag, like the 1906 flag, but with a different ratio. The 1925 flag also bears the addition of a crown hovering over the lions head, symbolizing the monarchy, and a ribbon for the lion to stand over. Second, an official flag for the Shah, with a cluster of wheat to mark peace and a crown to mark monarchy.These flag lasted until the Iranian Revolution in 1979.The many historical meanings of the emblems, while providing a solid ground for its power as the national emblem of Iran, have also provided a rich ground for competing symbols of Iranian identity. One important campaign to abolish the emblem was initiated by Mojtaba Minuvi in 1929. In a report prepared at the request of the Iranian embassy in London, he insisted that the lion-and-sun is Turkic in origin. He recommended that the government replace it with Derafsh-e-Kaviani: "One cannot attributed a national historical story to the lion-and-sun emblem, for it has no connection to ancient pre-Islamic history; there is no evidence that Iranians designed or created it.... We might as well get rid of this remnant of the Turkish people and adopt the flag that symbolizes our mythical grandeur, that is Derafsh-e-Kaviani". His suggestion was ignored. The symbol was challenged during World War I too, while Taqizade was publishing the Derafsh-e-Kaviani newspaper in Berlin. In his newspaper, he argued that the lion and sun is neither Iranian in origin nor very ancient as people assume. He insisted that the lion and sun should be replaced by the more Iranian symbol of Derafsh-e-Kaviani.

Interim Government of Iran

After the Iranian Revolution, Ruhollah Khomeini organized the Interim Government of Iran and Mehdi Bazargan was appointed prime minister. Bazargan's government designed a new flag. That flag was a tricolour with green, white and red but without any emblem. This flag was abided to codification of constitution in 1980 by the Parliament.

Islamic Republic

Current flag of Iran since 1980.

In 1980, the Parliament of Iran approved the current constitution. In the new constitution, the flag and coat of arms of state were changed. The Lion and Sun was deleted and a new emblem (the current emblem of Iran) was heir. The symbol was designed by Hamid Nadimi, and was officially approved by Ayatollah Khomeini on May 9, 1980. A further change to the flag following the revolution has been the addition of writing on the borders between the white, green and red bands reading, Allahu Akbar ("God is great") in a stylized version of the Kufic script used for the Qur'an. There are 22 (2×11) copies of this inscription, symbolic of the 22nd day of the 11th month (Bahman) in the Persian calendar—the date of the Islamic revolution (22 Bahman 1357 = February 11, 1979) over the Pahlavi dynasty. The addition of this writing renders the flag non-reversible. The emblem remained the official symbol of Iran until the 1979 revolution, when the "Lion and Sun" symbol was — by decree — removed from public spaces and government organizations and replaced by the present-day Coat of arms of Iran.

To members of the Islamic Revolution, the lion and sun symbol resembled the "oppressive Westernizing monarchy" that had to be replaced. Even though it had old Shi'a meanings and the lion was associated with Ali.^[1] In the present day, the lion and sun emblem is used by Iranian communities in exile as the symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic. Some political groups such as monarchists and the People's Mujahedin continue to use the lion and sun emblem. In Los Angeles and cities with large Iranian communities, the lion and sun emblem is used on Iranian flags and souvenirs to an extent that far surpasses its display during the years of monarchy in the motif homeland.^[2]

See also

• Pan-Iranian colors
• Coat of arms of Iran
• Imperial Standards of Iran
• The Lion and Sun
• Flag of Tajikistan
• Flag of the Tajik SSR
• Flag of Kurdistan
• Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic

Content

Green 1.^[3] Green 2.^[4] Green 3.^[5]

References

External links

• Iran at Flags of the World
• [5]—Flags and Nations of the World
• Flags i. Of Persia—Encyclopædia Iranica