The Republic of Tajikistan

The National Flag of Tajikistan

During the later years of the 1800's, the Russian Empire spread east and south, and slowly began to absorb Tajik territories, until they had been fully absorbed. However, with the ending of the Russian Empire, Tajik Guerillas fought hard against the Communist forces to keep Tajikistan independent. Unfortunately, they could not do so. Slowly, by 1921, the Bolsheviks had prevailed, and began to brutally secularise the population. Mosques, churches, and synagogues where shut, and practising Jews, Muslims and Christians suffered under heavy persecution.

The Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed as part of the larger Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. Its flag was the common red banner with the hammer and sickle. Running through the centre of the flag was a light blue stripe edged in white.

This was originally formed in 1924, out of the Turkestan ASSR, which was formed in 1920, and dissolved in 1924. The Tajik ASSR had a simple red banner, with the coat of arms.

Being an ASSR was a rank below being an SSR in the Soviet Unions geopolitical structure, until 1929, when Tajik ASSR was detached from the Uzbek SSR, and moved up a level. Being made a full Soviet Socialist Republic. Its new flag took the Soviet Unions red banner, and applied a white stripe running horizontally through the centre, with a thinner green stripe running underneath it.

Then, in 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and many of the SSR's began declaring independence, including Tajikistan, which was immediately recognised by Iran. A year after independence, they introduced a new flag for the freed republic. It took the same tricolour as the Iranian flag, and reversed it. Running red, white, and green. The central white stripe is 50% thicker than the other 2 red and green stripes. 

Placed in the central white stripe is a gold crown, surmounted with 7 gold stars.  The crown comes from the meaning of Tajik in the local language, which means "Crowned." Also, in Tajikistan, the number 7 is very important, as a number representing perfection. 

The red represents the unity of the nation, the white represents the snow-capped mountains, and cotton, and the green represents Islam, and the generosity of the people

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