Flag of Turkey - a crescent with a star on a red banner

Each state has its own distinctive symbols, established constitutionally or by a special law. It is a hymn, a coat of arms and a flag, covered, as a rule, with legends and shrouded in stories. The symbolism of the state is considered not just an acting formal system. It is a national treasure, including culture.

Flag and coat of arms of Turkey

The symbolism gives the first idea of the state, about what values it adheres to. In such an Islamic country as Turkey, the lawfully approved state emblem is not like this. In this case, instead of it, in many institutions one can see a semi-official emblem. It looks like a red oval with vertically oriented crescent and star depicted inside it. Similar symbols contain the flag of Turkey. In addition, the official name of the state is written on the upper edge of the oval of the emblem. This symbolism - a star and a half moon - can be seen on the foreign passport of Turkish citizens.

In 1925 the Ministry of Education of this country announced a contest for the best drawing for the national coat of arms. He won a project in which the vertical stars and crescent were depicted, and below was a silhouette of a wolf embodying the "Turkic national symbol". However, despite the general recognition, this version of the coat of arms, as, indeed, all the others, has not acquired its official status.

Meaning and history

The flag of Turkey is a white crescent with a five-pointed star on a red banner. This bright color of the fabric, according to some reports, came from the ruler of the Arab caliphate Umar, who was the conqueror of Egypt, Palestine and Mesopotamia. Since the fourteenth century, red symbolized the Ottoman Empire. The star and crescent have always been considered symbols of Islam, which is preached by the Republic of Turkey. And this is despite the fact that the religion is legally separated from the state, and the principle of freedom of religion operates.

Nonconformity

It is interesting that initially the star was located inside the month. At the same time, from the point of view of astronomers, this was the wrong decision, since the star in this case was covered by the moon, or rather its invisible part. Therefore, from the beginning of the twentieth century, according to the demands of astronomers, the flag of Turkey, whose pictures remained unchanged, was slightly amended. The star was still carried beyond the crescent moon.

However, specialists in this version also find some, in terms of astronomy, discrepancy. The crescent on the flag represents the wrong phase of the Moon that a person can observe every month from Earth, and its eclipse is an incomprehensible object of circular shape.

Origin of drawings

Some historians say that the crescent moon, which has traditionally been considered a symbol of Islam, appeared on the Turkish flag from the middle of the fifteenth century right after the victorious battle near Kosovo. Others say that it is borrowed from the emblem of Constantinople, seized in 1453. Still others are sure that the image of the star of Jupiter with a half moon is the signs of the horoscope of Sultan Usman, who ruled at the end of the thirteenth - the beginning of the fourteenth century. These symbols were considered the emblem of the dynasty of his reigning clan.

There is another legend about their origin. It is associated with the distant fourth century BC, when the troops of the father of the famous Alexander the Great - the commander of Philip - besieged the ancient city of Byzantium, the present Istanbul. The environment was long and bloody. Residents fought desperately, many of them died in the struggle for their freedom. And then the enemy decided to dig deep in the night under this impregnable fortress.

But suddenly, because of the black clouds, the moon shone and the star next to him. Their light was repeatedly reflected in the pools of blood spilled under the city walls. Sentinels noticed from the towers of the enemy and raised the alarm. The soldiers of Philip had to retreat with great losses, and the city was liberated. And as a memory of this event, and at the same time as a symbol of freedom, a crescent with a star became the emblem of Byzantium. After a long time, already in 1453, the horde of the Turkish sultan captured almost the entire Eastern Roman Empire. The emblem was transferred to the banner of the winner, and since then the flag of Turkey is a red banner with a crescent and a star.

Blue Flag

When planning a holiday on the seashore, many are guided by the presence of the "Blue Flag". This international award since 1987 is annually awarded to those equipped beaches, the water of which meets the quality standards, which means it is safe to swim. This nomination is managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education - FEE. More than sixty states participate in this program. Turkey did not stand aside either. The Blue Flag last year brought it to the third position among the countries in which maritime tourism is developed. 389 beaches, which is thirty-two more than the year before, were marked by the FEE for a total of twenty-nine criteria.

In addition, Turkey is in seventh place in terms of the number of "Blue Flags" assigned to its marinas.