Flag of Turkey

The flag of Turkey (Turkish: Türk bayrağı) is the national flag of the Republic of Turkey. It is often referred to as the Moon Star (Turkish: Ayyildiz), Red Flag (Turkish: Albayrak) or Red Flag with Moon Star (Ayyıldızlı Albayrak türk). The use and appearance of the national flag was regulated by Law 2893 of 22.09.1983.

History of the Turkish flag

The crescent moon and star symbols have a long pre-Islamic tradition in Asia Minor. In ancient times, the inhabitants of Byzantium worshipped Artemis, the goddess of hunting, whose symbol was a crescent moon. Constantine the Great consecrated the city in 330, which was eventually named after him the Virgin Mary. Her sign, the star, the crescent moon was added. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire possibly adopted the crescent and star.

Historical flag books show a great variety of flag variants from the Ottoman period. The basic form of the national flag was apparently created in 1793 under Sultan Selim III, when green flags were found on ships using modified red and the crescent moon, and another pointed star was added. Around 1844, the five-pointed star used today was introduced. This version was officially confirmed on June 5, 1936.

The origin of numerous legends. One of them says that an Ottoman sultan, traveling after a great battle, was victorious at sunset near a river or a small lake that had turned red with the blood of fallen Turkish soldiers. The moon (new moon) with some stars was reflected in the water. This sight touched the Turkish rulers and was immortalized in the Turkish flag.

Red with a vertical white crescent (the closed side facing the flagpole) and a white five-pointed star outside the crescent, just in front of its opening.

Meaning

The crescent moon and star are classical symbols of Islam. The white star is in exact relation to the crescent: if you connect the two tips of the crescent with a line, a star ray will touch this line. The constellation (crescent and star) is not centered, but intentionally moved closer to the flagpole by design. The crescent itself finds its origin in the Middle Ages with Osman, the founder of the powerful Ottoman Empire. The Turkish symbol of the crescent and star already shaped the symbolism of other national flags of surrounding regions at the end of the 19th century and is unmistakable and world-famous today as a pan-Islamic symbol.

Hymn

İstiklâl Marşı

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Korkma, sönmez bu şafaklarda yüzen al sancak;
Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.
O benim milletimin yıldızıdır, parlayacak;
O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak.

Çatma, kurban olayım çehreni ey nazlı hilal!
Kahraman ırkıma bir gül! Ne bu şiddet bu celal?
Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarımız sonra helal,
Hakkıdır, Hak'ka tapan, milletimin istiklal!

Ben ezelden beridir hür yaşadım, hür yaşarım.
Hangi çılgın bana zincir vuracakmış? Şaşarım;
Kükremiş sel gibiyim, bendimi çiğner aşarım;
Yırtarım dağları, enginlere sığmam, taşarım.

Garbın afakını sarmışsa çelik zırhlı duvar,
Benim iman dolu göğsüm gibi serhaddim var.
Ulusun, korkma! Nasıl böyle bir imanı boğar.
"Medeniyet!" dediğin tek dişi kalmış canavar?

Arkadaş! Yurduma alçakları uğratma sakın!
Siper et gövdeni, dursun bu hayasızca akın.
Doğacaktır sana vaadettiği günler Hak'kın;
Kim bilir, belki yarın, belki yarından da yakın. | Bastığın yerleri "toprak" diyerek geçme, tanı!
Düşün altındaki binlerce kefensiz yatanı.
Sen şehit oğlusun, incitme, yazıktır atanı
;Verme, dünyaları alsan da bu cennet vatanı.

Kim bu cennet vatanın uğruna olmaz ki feda?
Şüheda fışkıracak, toprağı sıksan şüheda!
Canı, cananı, bütün varımı alsın da Hüda,
Etmesin tek vatanımdan beni dünyada cüda.

Ruhumun senden ilahi, şudur ancak emeli;
Değmesin mabedimin göğsüne na-mahrem el

i!





Bu ezanlar ki şahadetleri dinin temeli,
Ebedi yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeliO

zaman vecdile bin secde eder varsa taşım

;



Her cerihamdan, ilahi, boşanıp kanlı yaşım,
Fışkırır ruh-i mücerret gibi yerden naşım;
O zaman yükselerek arşa değer belki başım!

Dalgalan sen de şafaklar gibi ey şanlı hilal;
Olsun artık dökülen kanlarımın hepsi helal!
Ebediyen sana yok, ırkıma yok izmihlal.
Hakkıdır, hür yaşamış bayrağımın hürriyet;
Hakkıdır, Hak'ka tapan milletimin istiklal

!



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Comforted, the morning star dawned,

In the new light our flag is waving''.

Yes, you shall wave,

As long as a last home still stands,

A hearth smokes in our fatherland.

Thou our star, thou ever shining brightness,

Thou art ours, thine we are all.

Do not turn your face from us,

O crescent moon, eternally victorious

Shine on us kindly

And give us peace and happiness,

To the heroic people who have consecrated their blood to thee.

Preserve for us the freedom for which we glow,

Highest good to the people who once freed themselves.