Flag of Tunisia

Meaning and history of the flag of Tunisia

Tunisia's flag features a red field with a white circle at the center containing a red crescent encircling a red five-pointed star. The design was officially adopted in 1835 under the rule of Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud and reaffirmed after independence from France in 1956, making it one of the oldest national flags still in continuous use.

The red field recalls the blood of the martyrs who fell during the Ottoman conquest of Tunisia in 1574 and also echoes the tradition of red flags used by the Ottoman Empire, of which Tunisia was a regency. The white circle represents the sun. The crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam, the state religion of Tunisia, rendered in red on white in a way that gives them a distinctive look compared with other Islamic emblems.

Tunisia's flag bears a notable resemblance to Turkey's, since both share a red field and the crescent-and-star symbols inherited from their shared Ottoman past. The Tunisian flag, however, is distinguished by the white central disc framing its symbols. It also resembles the historic flag of the Beylik of Tunis. It is the oldest national flag in the Arab world and one of the oldest in Africa in uninterrupted use.

You can view the flag of Tunisia in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Tunisia profile, its map, or the current local time in Tunis.