One of the most famous Muslim states located on the territory of the Asian continent is Iraq. This country has become 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 that over the past century has most often changed one of the symbols of heraldry - the flag. Iraq in its modern form was not on the world map until 1920. The kingdom country appeared as a result of political transformations in the territory that once belonged to the British. From then until today, the Arab state has changed not only the rulers and the system, but also its heraldry. Let's see what the history of the flag of Iraq is. What stages of evolution did this heraldic element go through in order to appear before us in its present form?
Own symbolism
The very first flag of Iraq was a rectangular canvas consisting of three horizontal stripes. Moreover, each of them had its own specific color. The upper part of the canvas was occupied by a black stripe, the middle one was white, and green was located at the very bottom. From the left edge - at the pole - a red triangle has perched. In addition, each color carried a specific meaning. So, black symbolized the events that took place in the history of the country's development, personified its heroic past. White pointed to the nobility, hospitality and generosity of the Arab population. A green hue is present on many flags of Islamic states and is a symbol of this faith. The red color indicates the intransigence of the people in the fight against opponents of their religion.
However, many are inclined to think that the red color means the country's development path before the adoption of Islam. White symbolizes the unity of all Arabs in the world, and black symbolizes mourning for the heroes who died in the struggle for faith and people. This is the second interpretation of the meaning of the shades that the flag of Iraq has put together. A 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 affected the triangle located at the pole of the national element: it turned into an isosceles trapezoid. In addition, two white seven-pointed stars were added to it - signs of the perfection of the ancient people. This flag of Iraq lasted until the end of the 50s of the twentieth century.
In the early sixties, the old one was replaced by a new canvas. He inherited from the previous strip. However, now they are located vertically. The red trapeze was removed. Instead, an eight-pointed star-sun was placed in the center of the white stripe as a bright element.
Republican trends
In 1963, another coup took place, during which the Iraq flag also underwent a change. So, now the state symbol of the country has become a canvas, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes, painted in the following shades (top to bottom): red, white and black. Three green pentagonal stars are located in the center of the midline. In addition to the semantic load carried by the color of the figures, the elements themselves were of great importance: unity, fraternity and equality, preached by the Ba'ath nationalist party - that is what they pointed to.
