This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website
Historical Flags (Afghanistan)
Last modified: 2006-07-01 by ian macdonald
Keywords: afghanistan | historical |
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Other sites:
- A comprehensive political and vexillological history of Afghanistan, by Jaume Ollé (Spanish text only):
- Flags of Afghanistan at the Afghanland.com website
Introduction
Afghanistan has been deemed the winner of "the most frequent flag changes in the twentieth century" contest:
- 1901-1919 Black field with central white emblem of mosque, flags and wreath.
- 1919-1928 Same, except central emblem surrounded by eight pointed sunburst.
- 1928-Sep.1928 Similar to 1901.
- Sep.1928-Jan.1929 Vertical black, red, green. Central white emblem of mountains, sun, wreath, topped by a star.
- Jan.1929-Oct.1929 Similar to 1919-1928.
- Oct.1929-1930 Same three-striped field, but using earlier emblem surrounded by sunburst.
- 1930-1973 Same three-striped field, central white emblem of mosque, flags, and wreath.
- 1973-1974 Same as the previous one, without the date in the emblem.
- May 1974-Apr.1978 Horizontal field, lower half green, upper half is black over red. Emblem in upper hoist of eagle, pulpit, wreath, sunburst.
- Apr.1978-Oct.1978 Same as previous, no emblem.
- Oct.1978-Apr.1980 Red Field with gold emblem in upper hoist consisting of script characters (I believe it says Flag Party) wreath, and star.
- Apr.1980-Nov.1987 Three equal horizontal stripes of black over red over green. Multicolor emblem in upper hoist of pulpit, book, wreath, sunburst, topped by cogwheel and red star.
- Nov.1987-Apr.1992 Same as previous, but emblem lacks book and red star. Also the cogwheel was relocated to the bottom and the green "horizon" below the sunburst is now curved.
- Apr.1992-Dec.1992 Three equal horizontal stripes of green, white, black with white text on green stripe and black text on white stripe.
- Dec.1992- September 1996 Same three stripes, but golden emblem centered on the flag.
- September 1996 - November 2001 White flag,
at times with the Shahada in black
- January 2002 - January 2004
Black-red-green vertical stripes, with coat of arms on red stripe, date on
flag 1348.
- Since January 2004 Black-red-green
vertical stripes, with coat of arms on red stripe, date on flag 1298.
Nick Artimovich, 19 March 1996, augmented by editor.
It seems to me that a large number of these are relatively insignificant
variations on the same design. Considering the country involved and the
improbability that any official records exist for the time period concerned, I
can't help wondering if some of these don't simply reflect either errors in
observation by contemporary (non-vexillologically oriented) observers or
irregularities in production.
Joe McMillan, 12 August 2005