Flag of Iraq: multiple changes of the symbol of one country

One of the most famous Muslim states located on the territory of the Asian continent is Iraq. This country became famous throughout the world for its politicians, one of which was the greatest dictator of our time - Saddam Hussein. Iraq is probably the only country in the world, which for the last century most often changed one of the symbols of heraldry - the flag. Iraq in its modern form was not on the map of the world until 1920. The kingdom country appeared as a result of political changes in the territory that once belonged to the English. Ever since, and to this day, the Arab state has changed not only the rulers and the system, but also its own heraldry. Let's see what the history of the Iraq flag is. Through what stages of evolution had to go through this heraldic element, in order to appear before us in its modern form?

Own symbols

The very first flag of Iraq was a rectangular canvas, consisting of three horizontal stripes. In this case, each of them had its own specific color. The upper part of the canvas was occupied by a black strip, the middle section was white, and at the very bottom was a green one. From the left edge - at the shaft - the red triangle settled down . In this case, each color carries a certain value. So, the black symbolized the events that took place in the history of the country's development, personified her heroic past. White pointed to the nobility, hospitality and generosity of the Arab population. Green shade is present on many flags of Islamic states and is a symbol of this faith. Red color indicates the intransigence of the people in the fight against the opponents of their religion.
However, many people tend to think that red color means the way of the country's development before the adoption of Islam. White symbolizes the unity of all Arabs in the world, and black - mourning for heroes who died in the struggle for faith and the people. This is the second interpretation of the meaning of the shades, which collected the flag of Iraq. The photo of this symbol is presented above.

First Changes

A few years after the adoption of the first symbol of the kingdom, it was slightly modified. The changes touched the triangle, located at the shaft of the national element: it turned into an isosceles trapezoid. In addition, it added two white seven-pointed stars - signs of the perfection of the ancient people. This flag of Iraq existed until the end of the 50-ies of the twentieth century.

In the early sixties a new cloth came to replace the old one. He inherited from the previous strip. But now they are located vertically. The red trapeze was removed. Instead of it as a bright element in the center of the white band put an eight-pointed star-sun.

Republican trends

In 1963, another coup occurred, during which the flag of Iraq also underwent a change. So, now the national symbol of the country began to represent a cloth consisting of three equal horizontal strips, painted in the following shades (from top to bottom): red, white and black. In the center of the middle line were three green pentagonal stars. In addition to the semantic load carried by the figures, the elements themselves were of great importance: unity, brotherhood and equality, preached by the nationalist party "Baath" - that is what they pointed out.

"God is great"

The reign of Saddam Hussein brought new changes to the state symbols. So the flag acquired the inscription "God is great", or "Allah Akbar". These two words were placed on the white central strip of the canvas and separated by a star. On the sides of the inscription there were also similar pentagonal elements of green color. In 2004, the font inscriptions on the flag slightly changed. And four years later, the stars were removed from the canvas, leaving two sacred words for Muslims - "Allah Akbar." This symbol is an ornament of public buildings and at the present stage.