The Secret History Behind Azerbaijan's Flag
Azerbaijan's flag was first raised in 1918, more than seventy years before the country became independent again.
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declared independence on May 28, 1918. Its first flag, adopted on June 21, 1918, was red with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star. It was soon replaced, on November 9, 1918, by the blue, red and green tricolor we know today. On February 5, 1991, the Supreme Council adopted the law on the national flag.
Blue is read as Turkic heritage, red as progress toward a modern state and democracy, and green as the country's ties to Islamic civilization. The white crescent stands for Islam, and the eight points of the star are linked to eight branches of the Turkic peoples.
The date printed on every Azerbaijan design in our catalog, October 18, 1991, is the day Azerbaijan restored its independence.
A flag from 1918 that came back.
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