Flag of Turkmenistan

Meaning and history of the flag of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan's flag, adopted in its current form on January 24, 2001, is considered one of the most intricate and detailed in the world. It features a green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist containing five overlapping carpet motifs (guls). At the lower left of the stripe, two crossed olive branches were later added. Near the top of the green field are a white crescent and five white five-pointed stars.

Green is the traditional color of Islam and represents Turkmen heritage. The crescent symbolizes hope for a bright future, and the five stars represent the country's five provinces (welayats). The five guls on the vertical stripe are the traditional carpet designs of the country's five principal Turkmen tribes: Teke, Yomut, Arsary, Chowdur, and Saryk. These carpet motifs reflect the central importance of carpet weaving in Turkmen culture, recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.

The olive branches were added in 1997 to symbolize Turkmenistan's status of permanent neutrality, recognized by the United Nations in 1995. Incorporating carpet motifs into a national flag is an entirely unique case in world vexillology, making this one of the most distinctive and readily identifiable flags. Its level of detail also makes it one of the hardest to reproduce accurately.

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