State flag of Iran, 1964-1979. Basic three colours with Lion and Sun, 4:7 ratio

The flag of the Red Lion and Sun Society, the Iranian equivalent of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies.

The Lion and Sun motif (shir o khorshid, شیر و خورشید) is one of the better known emblems of Iran, and between 1964 and 1979 was an element in Iran's national flag. Although first attested in the 15th century, its symbolism (see below) is significantly older and is tied to notions of power and kingship. Image File history File links Iran_flag_with_emblem_1964-1979. ... Image File history File links Iran_flag_with_emblem_1964-1979. ... Image File history File links Red_Lion_with_Sun. ... Image File history File links Red_Lion_with_Sun. ... The flag of the Red lion and Sun society The Red Lion and Sun Society was established by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran. ... The Red Cross and the Red Crescent emblems, the symbols from which the Movement derives its name. ... Current flag of the Islamic republic of Iran, introduced in 1980. ...

History

The use of the lion and sun symbol is first attested in a miniature painting dated to 1423.^[1] The painting, which is of a scene from Mongol conquest (Timurid dynasty, 1370–1506), depicts several horsemen that approach the walled city of Nishapur. One of the horsemen carries a banner that bears a lion passant with a rising sun on its back. The pole is tipped with a crescent moon. By the time of the Safavids (1501-1722), and the subsequent unification of Iran as a single state, the lion and sun had become a familiar sign, appearing on copper coins, on banners, and on works of art. Events July 31 - Hundred Years War: Battle of Cravant - The French army is defeated at Cravant on the banks of the river Yonne. ... The Timurid Empire (blue area) c. ... Nishapur (or Neyshâbûr; نیشابور in Persian) is a town in the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad. ... The Safavids were a long-lasting Turkic-speaking Iranian dynasty that ruled from 1501 to 1736 and first established Shiite Islam as Persias official religion. ...

Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan (r. 1794-1797), founder of the Qajar dynasty.

It is "clear that, although various alams and banners were employed by the Safavids [...] the lion and sun symbol had become by the time of Shah Abbas the recognized emblem of Persia." "The association may originally have been based on a learned interpretation of the Shahnama's references to the 'the Sun of Iran' and 'the Moon of the Turanians."^[1] (cf: the "Roman" - i.e. Byzantine - king as the "Moon of the West" in the symbolism section below). For the Safavids, the Shahnama was no doubt the better two of the references, and "since the crescent moon had been adopted as the dynastic and ultimately national emblem of the Ottoman sultans [...], who were the new sovereigns of 'Rum,' the Safavids of Persia, needing to have a dynastic and national emblem of their own, chose the lion and sun motif."^[1] Image File history File links Mohammad_Khan_Flag. ... Image File history File links Mohammad_Khan_Flag. ... This engraving depicts Mohammad Khan wearing the Taj-i-kiyani, or the Kiyanid Crown. ... The Qajar dynasty ( ) (Persian: ‎ - or دودمان قاجار - Qâjâr) was the ruling family of Persia from 1781 to 1925. ... Shâhnameh Shāhnāmé, or Shāhnāma (Persian: )(alternative spellings are Shahnama, Shahnameh, Shahname, Shah-Nama, etc. ... It has been suggested that Eastern Roman Empire be merged into this article or section. ... 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 (1326–65) Edirne (1365–1453) Constantinople (Ä°stanbul, 1453–1922) Language(s) Ottoman Turkish Government Monarchy Sultans  - 1281–1326 Osman I  - 1918–22 Mehmed VI...

The sword was added in the 16th century. The emblem remained the official symbol of Iran until 1979 revolution, when the "Lion & Sun" symbol was - by decree - removed from public spaces and government organisations and replaced by the present-day Coat of arms of Iran. 1980 Iranian stamp commemorating the Islamic Revolution After Islamic Conquest  Modern (SSR = Soviet Socialist Republic) Afghanistan  Azerbaijan  Bahrain  Iran  Iraq  Tajikistan  Uzbekistan  This box:      The Iranian Revolution (also known as the Islamic Revolution,[1][2][3][4][5][6] Persian: انقلاب اسلامی, Enghelābe Eslāmi) was the revolution that transformed Iran... Islamic Republic Coat of Arms, since 1979 Pahlavi dynasty Coat of Arms. ...

Symbolism

A "vast amount of literary and archaeological evidence [...] demonstrates that from the 12th century the ancient zodiacal sign of the sun in the house of Leo gained popularity as an emblematic figure [...] probably to exemplify the ruler's power."^[1] Indeed, the use of light imagery as a sign of kingship descends from pre-historic times: The name of the mythical Jamshid, who in Iranian tradition is the prototype ruler and from whom many dynasts claimed descent, derives from the Avestan language expression Yima Xsšaēta, "radiant Yima", just as Khorshid, the Persian language name of (the divinity of) the sun, derives from hvarə-xsšaēta, "radiant sun". The sun had always been associated with Persian royalty: Iranian tradition recalls that aforementioned Kayanids had a golden sun as their emblem. From the Greek historians of classical antiquity it is known that "a crystal image" of the sun adorned the royal tent of Darius III, that the Arsacid banner was adorned with the sun, and that the Sassanid standards had a red ball symbolizing the sun. The Byzantine chronicler Malalas records that the salutation of a letter from the "Persian king, the Sun of the East," was addressed to the "Roman Caesar, the Moon of the West". The Turanian king Afrasab is recalled as saying: "I have heard from wise men that when the Moon of the Turan rises up it will be harmed by the Sun of the Iranians."^[1] The sun was always imagined as male, and in some banners a figure of a male replaces the symbol of the sun. In others, a male figure accompanies the sun. Jamshid (in Persian: ‎) is a common Persian male first name. ... Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the sacred hymns and canon of the Zoroastrian Avesta. ... Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD... Darius III or Codomannus (c. ... The Arsacid Dynasty ruled Persia. ... John Malalas (or Ioannes, or Malelas) (Syriac for orator) (c. ... Caesar may refer to the following: Related to Ancient Roman times Caesar (title), a title used by Roman Emperors Julius Caesar (100 BC–44 BC), a famous politician and military leader He used the Caesar cipher in his military campaigns. ...

Similarly, the lion too has always had a close association with Persian kingship. The garments and throne decorations of the Achaemenid kings were embroidered with lion motifs. The crown of the half-Persian Seleucid king Antiochus I was adorned with a lion. In the investiture inscription of Ardashir I at Naqsh-e Rustam, the breast armour of the king is decorated with lions. Further, in some Iranian dialects the word for king (shah) is pronounced as sher, homonymous with the word for lion. Islamic, Turkish, and Mongol influences also stressed the symbolic association of the lion and royalty. The earliest evidence for the use of a lion on a standard comes from the Shahnameh, which noted that the feudal house of Godarz (presumably a family of Parthian or Sassanid times) adopted a golden lion for its devices. Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Dynasty was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire, including Cyrus II the Great, Darius I and Xerxes I. At the height of their power, the Achaemenid rulers of Persia ruled over territories roughly emcompassing some parts of todays Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon... Silver coin of Antiochus I Antiochus I Soter ( 324/323_262/261 BC reigned 281 BC - 261 BC) was half Persian, his mother Apame being one of those eastern princesses whom Alexander had given as wives to his generals in 324 BC. On the assassination of his father Seleucus I in... Silver coin of Ardashir I with a fire altar on its verso (British Museum London). ... NæqÅ¡-e Rostæm, near Shiraz A rock relief at Naqsh-e Rostam, depicting the triumph of Shapur I over three Roman Emperors Valerian, Gordian III and Philip the Arab. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... Reproduction of a Parthian warrior as depicted on Trajans Column The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Origins Bust of Parthian soldier, Esgh-abad Museum, Turkmenia. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate...

References

See also

• Flags of Iran
• Coat of arms of Iran

Current flag of the Islamic republic of Iran, introduced in 1980. ... Islamic Republic Coat of Arms, since 1979 Pahlavi dynasty Coat of Arms. ...

Pictures of historical forms

• The Banner device from the miniature painting dated to 1423.
• Drouville's depiction of the Persian flag in the early 19th century.
• Standard (with sword) of the Persian delegation during Mohammad-Reza Beg's visit to Versailles in August 1715.