Afghanistan Flag

The History Of The Flag Of Afghanistan

The flag of Afghanistan is divided into three sections. The Afghanistan flag is black, red and green with the national emblem of Afghanistan in the center of the flag in yellow. The national emblem of Afghanistan has always appeared on the flag of Afghanistan throughout the history of the nation except for two notable periods of time. There was a period of time during the 80’s when the national emblem didn’t appear on the flag of Afghanistan when the Communists controlled the country and there was another period of time during the rule of Taliban when the Afghan flag didn’t have the national emblem on it. During the time period when the Northern Alliance controlled the country the flag of Afghanistan featured the national emblem but had black, white and green striped rather than the black, red and green striped in the Afghan flag today. The current national emblem of Afghanistan that appears on the current Afghan national flag has the the shahada, or the Muslim creed, written in Arabic at the top. Underneath there is an image of a mosque with a mehrab that is facing Mecca with a prayer mat inside. In the emblem there are two flags pictured with the mosque that represent Afghanistan. There have been many incarnations of the flag of Afghanistan during the turbulent history of the country but certain elements like the national emblem have remained fairly constant throughout.

A Reflection Of A Turbulent History

The many changes in the colors and backgrounds of the flag of Afghanistan reflect the many changes that the country of Afghanistan has gone through in its history. Because of its location different cultural groups and countries have always fought for control of Afghanistan. The harsh desert conditions and rough terrain make Afghanistan a difficult country to control, and even though there is a central government the outer edges of the country remain under the control of local warlords who don’t pay much attention to the central government. Except for the time when the Communists from Russia were controlling the country Afghanistan has always been an Islamic nation and continues to be an Islamic state to this day. The fundamentalist Taliban forced the people of the country to practice an extreme form of Islam but the country has now returned to a more moderate practice of Islam since the US forces ousted the Taliban from power. The flag of Afghanistan reflects the Islamic national identity of Afghanistan.