The late Ottoman flag with an eight-pointed star (known as the star of Rub El Hizb (۞), a symbol of Islam) and crescent was first used in 1793 by the Ottoman Navy. In 1844 the present Turkish flag with a five-pointed star was adopted.

The term Ottoman flag refers to any of the flags used by the ruling Sultans of the Ottoman Dynasty. Various flags were used within the Ottoman Empire during its existence, and the sultan also used different personal flags on different occasions of state. Due to the complex social and political organization of the Ottoman Empire, throughout most of its history there was no single proper national flag, until 1844. In 1844 the current Turkish flag, originally developed for the Ottoman Navy, was also adopted as the Ottoman national flag. This flag is still used by the Republic of Turkey. The proportions of this flag were standardized and legalized with the Turkish Flag Law in 1936. Image File history File links Ottoman_Flag. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Flag. ... Rub El Hizb Rub El Hizb is represented by two overlapping squares as in the Unicode glyph Ûž at U+06DE. In Arabic, Rub means Lord, Sustainer, Provider, Supporter, Nourisher, Sovereign, Ruler, Master or Protector, while Hizb means a Group, Party or Sect. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... The Ottoman Dynasty (or the Imperial House of Osman) ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1281 to 1923, beginning with Osman I (not counting his father, ErtuÄŸrul), though the dynasty was not proclaimed until 1383 when Murad I declared himself sultan. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... Jan. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The use of the star-and-crescent flagis not associated with the late empire (with a star of five points) are well documented with photographs; there are also sources which state that the flag of the late Ottoman Empire (and later of the Republic of Turkey) is called Ay Yıldız, which means Moon Star. this is all a joke! Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI...

Flags from ghazi to emperor (1299-1453)

Flag of the Kayihan khanate, displaying the Kayi tamgha, very old - 1326

Flag of the Osmanli 1326-1517

Flag of the Ottoman Empire, 1383-1453

The early years are a time of the Ottomans defining themselves, a process which did not come to a conclusion until they took Constantinople in 1453. Osman I, a ghazi warlord in Söğüt and the founder of the Ottoman Empire was acclaimed the Khan of the Kayihan in 1299 and it was this title that he bore to his death, establishing the backbone upon which the empire was founded. This title he inherited from his father Ertugrul, who inherited it from his father Suleyman Shah, who inherited it from his father Kayaalp this going all the way back to when the Kayihan were a roving tribe of Oghuz nomads who inhabited the area surrounding Mount Khan Tengri. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Oghuz Tamghas A tamgha is a design identifying property or cattle to belong to a specific Turkish clan, usually as a cattle brand or stamp. ... Flag of the Ottoman Empire according to the Catalan Atlas c. ... Flag of the Ottoman Empire according to the Catalan Atlas c. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Sultanate1299-1453. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Sultanate1299-1453. ... Map of Constantinople. ... April 2 - Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (Ä°stanbul). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Ghazi (March 21, 1912 - April 4, 1939) was king of Iraq from 1933 to 1939. ... Söğüt was a Seljuk Turkish tribe in western Anatolia that later gave birth to the Ottoman Empire. ... ErtuÄŸrul, also ErtoÄŸrul, (1198-1281) was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. ... Suleyman Shah (Süleyman Åžah, d. ... The Oghuz Turks (also with various alternate spellings, including Oguz, OÄŸuz, Ouz, Okuz, Oufoi, Guozz, Ghuzz and Uz) are regarded as one of the major branches of Turkic peoples. ... Khan Tengri (Chinese, translated as Lord of the spirits, or Lord of the sky; or Turkic translated as Ruler of Skies, Ruler Tengri) is a mountain of the Tian Shan mountain range. ...

His son Orhan I saw himself differently, he saw the state that he inherited from his father as a successor to the Byzantine Empire, and even married a Byzantine princess. The flag that he flew combined the Byzantine flag with that of the Kayihan khanate, replacing the β's with Kayi tamghas. Orhan (Turkish: also Orhan Gazi or Orkhan) (1284–1359), was the second bey (chief) of the newborn Ottoman Empire (at the time known as the Osmanli tribe) from 1326 to 1359. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... For the Star Trek character see Khan Noonien Singh. ... Oghuz Tamghas A tamgha is a design identifying property or cattle to belong to a specific Turkish clan, usually as a cattle brand or stamp. ...

Osman's grandson Murad I, who bore the level of Roman legitimacy his father could only dream of, ironically reversed his father's policy and forged a completely new identity for the domains, casting off any claim to Roman legitimacy or tribal affiliations and founding the Ottoman Empire. Why red was the perfect colour to say this with, we shall never know. It has no bearing to traditional tribal colours (which were white and gold) or popular Turkish colours (usually blue, white and gold). It could be because it is a Roman colour, and he wasn't casting off Roman aspirations as totally as we would be led to believe. Red might just have been his favourite colour, like Napoleon and the green stripe on the Italian flag.
Sultan Murad I (มู้หลัดที่หนึ่ง) Murad I (nick-named Hüdavendigâr, the God-liked one) (1319 (or 1326) – 1389) was the ruler of the Ottoman Empire from 1359 to 1389. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Motto: دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) Anthem: Ottoman imperial anthem Borders in 1680, see: list of territories Capital Söğüt (1299-1326) Bursa (1326-1365) Edirne (1365-1453) Constantinople (Istanbul) (1453-1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–1922 Mehmed VI... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The Flag of Italy, 2:3 The Flag of Italy, also known as Tricolore, is a tricolour containing three vertical bands of green, white, and red (left, or hoist side, to right). ...

Flags of the Sublime Porte (1453-1793)

Ottoman Battle Flag c.1500-1793	Ottoman Flag 1517-1844
Flag of the Ottoman Navy 1453-1793	Flag of an Ottoman Admiral 1453-1793
Flag of a Muslim Merchant 1453-1793	Flag of a Jewish Merchant 1453-1793
Flag of a Latin (usually Albanian) Merchant 1453-1793	Flag of a Roman (Orthodox Christian) Merchant 1453-1793

Flag of the Ottoman Empire 1453-1844

The original flag changed very little, the gold crescent merely makes its appearance for the first time. By the 18th century this began to be flown as a rectangular as opposed to triangular flag, but remained essentially unchanged. The gold is actual gold-woven silk, and in lieu of this white cloth as opposed to yellow-dyed cloth was used, as not everyone can afford such luxury. Image File history File links Ottoman_Army1453-1798. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Army1453-1798. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Navy1453-1789. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Navy1453-1789. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Admiral1453-1789. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Admiral1453-1789. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Sultanate1453-1844. ... Image File history File links Ottoman_Sultanate1453-1844. ...

The crescent was an ancient symbol of Byzantium and Constantinople, and while this alone was an important reason to adopt the symbol as an Ottoman symbol, it was not the only reason. In some Turkish clans and kingdoms, the crescent-shaped symbols were used extensively. The crescent was quite popular in Persia, which was the origin of most of the non-Roman Ottoman culture at that point, and it was remarkably similar to the Kayi clan tamgha from which Osman was descended and the Khanate of which the Ottoman state emerged. The crescent for the Ottoman Empire therefore was a powerful message as well as an appropriate symbol, binding the past to the future. Oghuz Tamghas A tamgha is a design identifying property or cattle to belong to a specific Turkish clan, usually as a cattle brand or stamp. ...

With control of Constantinople and the Bosphorus came new commercial opportunities and new threats from Venice and Genoa, who feared for their interests and colonies in the Aegean and Black Sea. The Ottomans felt the need for a strong navy and merchant marine, and instituted a number of reforms. These included naval identification flags, including flags signifying command ships, and a set of merchant flags based on religion, each of which was treated differently by the legal system. The naval system also had flags for individual ships and commanders, but those could not be considered to be "Ottoman" flags. Map of Constantinople. ... Bosphorus - photo taken from International Space Station. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia) is the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Genoa (Genova in Italian - Zena in Genoese) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... NASA satellite image of the Black Sea Map of the Black Sea The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Anatolia that is actually a distant arm of the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Mediterranean Sea. ...

Jews and Christians of the empire were subjected to additional taxation, however as "Romans", the Orthodox Christians had certain rights and privileges that the Catholics did not, and for religious reasons Jews were the only people who could engage in certain financial activities, so at the time this worked out to an early form of tax brackets. Motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent, c. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ...

The Catholics had the worst deal, since they were taxed as heavily as the other non-Moslems, without any of the benefits or privileges. This wasn't that much of a source of discontent however, as most of the mercantilist Catholic subjects of the Ottoman Empire lived under their own administration in the Republic of Ragusa. Only a few struggling Albanian merchants from Durrës or (later on) Croatians from Split fell under this category. Borders of the Republic of Ragusa, 1426-1808 Capital Ragusa Language(s) Latin, Italian since 1492 Religion Roman Catholic Government Republic Duke  - 1808 Auguste Marmont Historical era Renaissance  - Treaty of Zara June 27, 1358  - Invasion by France January 31, 1808  - Annexed October 14, 1808 Area  - 1808? 1,500 km2 579... View of Durrës Durrës (historical names: Δυρράχιον,Durazzo, Epidamnos, Драч, Dyrrhachium) is the most ancient and one of the most economically important cities of Albania. ... For other uses, see Split (disambiguation). ...

While this all seems incredibly discriminatory today, it was in fact a much fairer system than that which existed in the rest of the Balkans, and despite these rules the nobility was hard pressed to keep their serfs from fleeing for Ottoman territory.

With the conquest of Syria and Egypt, a new Imperial flag was needed. The Sultan was no longer a Roman successor in a mostly Christian land, but the Sultan of Egypt and Caliph of Islam. So the Byzantine cross was removed, and a disc of the colour green, the colour of Islam, was placed upon the imperial flag. The many-crescents motif was maintained, but was reduced to three upon the disc, and now represented the three titles and three continents that the house of Osman ruled over: Egypt in Africa, the Caliphate in Asia, and Rum in Europe.
For main article see: Caliphate Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, or global Islamic nation. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... The Caliphate (Arabic خلافة) is the theoretical federal government that would govern the Islamic world under Islamic law, ruled by a Caliph as head of state. ...

Reform and Decline (1793-1923)

Ottoman Naval Flag, flying on all military vessels 1793-1844	Ottoman Civic & Merchant Flag 1793-1923
Ottoman Religious Flag, or the flag of the caliphate 1793-1844	Ottoman Army, or Land Flag 1793-1923

The flag of the Ottoman navy was made red as red was to be the flag of secular institutions and green of religious ones, following the New Order reforms. All religious institutions were "spun-off" and while the emperor remained caliph and retained religious roles, the sultanate secularized itself. The navy went through radical modernization reforms, but nothing compared to the army. Flag of the Ottoman Navy, specifically that of an Ottoman Man-o-war. ... Flag of the Ottoman Navy, specifically that of an Ottoman Man-o-war. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This is the religious flag or flag of the Ottoman Caliphate. ... This is the religious flag or flag of the Ottoman Caliphate. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The army was completely restructured. The janissaries were disbanded and many of them were killed as they resisted modernization. This came of course with a new flag design, without the colour, religious overtones, and excess of the janissaries, and in the style of European armies of the day it was a bicolour flag containing the two, now official, Ottoman colours.

Furthering the New Order reforms, the Empire was centralized and all the various sub-sultanates, pashaliks, beyliks and emirates were abolished, including the Ottoman Sultanate. A new flag was designed to replace all these flags with one single national flag. The result was the red and white flag with the crescent moon and star, which is the precursor to the modern Turkish flag. Secularization made the religions equal under law, doing away with the complex hierarchy of religions in relation to taxation and mercantile pursuits, so a plain red flag was made the civil flag for all Ottoman subjects.

Relation to the flag of Turkey

Main article: Flag of Turkey

The Republic of Turkey flag dates from 1844 and was proportionally standardized with the Turkish Flag Law in 1936.

Subsequent to the fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey following the Turkish War of Independence, the new Turkish state maintained the last Ottoman flag of 1844, but introduced proportional standardizations. The flag of Turkey bears, on a red background, the white crescent moon and a five-pointed star with definite geometrical proportions, established and regulated by the Turkish Flag Law (Turkish: Türk Bayrağı Kanunu) since 1936.
Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a star on a red background. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Turkey. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Turkey. ... Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Flag ratio: 2:3 The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a star on a red background. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Legends

There are various legends attributed to the flag, some dubious, others quite possible.

One legend relates to the red color of the flag. This legend states that during the night following the Battle of Kosovo, Ottoman Sultan Murad II saw a moon and star in a pool of blood, and so he adopted this as the standard of the Ottoman Empire. This legend, while poetic, is most certainly a myth. Ottomans using red flags predate the Battle of Kosovo by nearly fifty years, stars did not appear on Ottoman state flags until 1844, and when the Ottomans marched into Constantinople in 1453 they did not have crescents on their flags. This page is about the Battle of Kosovo of 1389; for other battles, see Battle of Kosovo (disambiguation). ... Murad II Murad II (1404 – February 3, 1451) (Arabic: مراد الثاني) was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1451 (except for a period from 1444 to 1446). ...

Turkish people attribute the red of the flag as the color of the blood that is on the flag, shed to win their homeland and their liberty, and that the star and crescent are components of the vast cultural heritage of Anatolian peoples throughout history.

The color red may come from assigning of color to cardinal directions like of Chinese system. The crescent and star may be coming to symbolize the sky god (the head of gods) from pre-Islamic traditions.

Also the crescent may be a symbol for God and star for the Prophet.

Personal Standard of the Sultan

The imperial banners displayed the sultan's tughra, often on a pink or bright red background. The religious colour of Islam is green, and many Ottoman flags were dark green (either simple green flags, or bearing the star and crescent in either white or yellow). Many royal banners picture the legendary Zulfikar sword. As of 1862 the flag of the sultan was green with seven thin, red, horizontal lines. The tughra of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Zulfikar (Dhul-Fakar) was the sword of Muhammad and his son-in-law, Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Flag Poles

The flagpoles were often decorated by a crescent, a wolf's head, a horsetail or a Qur'an box. In addition, banners were always accompanied by a number of smaller flags, pennants, icons and various other items with symbolic meaning (for example, the Janissaries used to parade with their cauldrons). The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎, literally the recitation; also called ‎ The Noble Qurān; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... Chamberlain of Sultan Murad IV with janissaries. ...

References

• Catalan Atlas, Cresques Abraham 1375
• Topkapı Museum, Flag Exhibit, Istanbul
• Ottoman Painted Miniatures, Turkish Ministry of Culture
• Portolan Chart, Petrus Roselli, 1466
• Portolan Chart, Albino de Canepa, 1489
• Flags of the World, Ottoman Empire

External link

• Flags of the World: Ottoman Empire