The Secret History Behind Turkey's Flag

Turkey's flag carries a crescent and star older than the country's flag law itself.

The crescent moon and star are tied to Ottoman tradition, with roots said to stretch back centuries before the modern Turkish republic ever existed — passed down from empire to empire across the region. Red became the color of the Ottoman Empire, and later, the color of the republic that rose from it.

That transformation came on October 29, 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk declared the Republic of Turkey, and the crescent-and-star design became the official banner of a nation reborn from the ashes of an empire — the date printed on every Turkey design in our catalog.

Centuries of imperial history, folded into one simple design, now flying over a modern republic.

Shop the Turkey collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.