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Iran was ruled as a monarchy by shahs (kings) for nearly 380 years, until 1979 when conservative Muslim clerics and their students overthrew the last Iranian shah and an Islamic republic was declared.
A plain horizontal striped tricolour flag of green-white-and originally pink has been in use in Iran since 1905. Pink was officially declared as red in 1933.
The unadorned tricolour remained in use until the 29th of July 1980, when a modification, including the introduction of an emblem with Islamic symbolism was added to the central white stripe.
The current flag dates from the 29th of July 1980. |
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Green symbolises Islam,
white represents purity and peace and red symbolises blood and valour.
Along the upper and lower edges of the white stripe Allah-o Akbar (God is Great) is written 22 times in stylised Kufi script. This represents 22 Bahman 1357 (11th of February 1979), the day of the Iranian
Revolution.
In the centre of the flag is the coat of arms of Iran; in the shape of a globe, representing the world, it is a stylised drawing featuring a vertical sword, which symbolises strength and fortitude, surrounded by crescents, connoting the different phases of the moon. The crescents represent the growth of the Muslim faith.
The stylised emblem as a whole reads Allah or God. |
