Flag of Kyrgyzstan

The flag of Kyrgyzstan is the symbol and pride of the country. The national identity, the main values and aspirations of the people are all reflected on the main official symbol. Let’s look at its history, the meanings of the images and some interesting facts.

This is what the modern flag of Kyrgyzstan looks like:

History of the Kyrgyz flag

The Kyrgyz received their first flag in the late 1920s; before that, they had flown the banner of the Turkestan Republic.

The first flag of Kyrgyzstan was a Soviet flag: a scarlet color cloth with a sickle and hammer, inscriptions in Kyrgyz and Russian, and first the Kyrgyz version was written in the Latin alphabet (and on the flag of the Turkestan Republic – in Arabic script), the transition to the Russian alphabet happened later.

The modern flag had other predecessors – red banners, distinguished by inscriptions and the presence of white and blue stripes.

The flag of the Kyrgyz Republic was approved on March 3, 1992. It was sewn and decorated by silkscreen artists overnight from natural material and was hoisted over the Kyrgyz Government House (“White House”) in less than a day after approval.

State Flag Day of Kyrgyzstan has been celebrated since March 2010.

Flag description

The national flag of Kyrgyzstan is a red rectangular cloth, with a golden sun disk in the center and forty rays diverging from it at an equal distance from each other. Inside the solar disk is a fiery tunduk, a device used to crown the dome of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt to illuminate it.

Tunduk – a symbol of the connection between the inner and outer world, is associated with the home hearth. The construction is a frame of a wooden round rim, inside – a convex lattice of cross-connected crossbars. Tunduk holds the structure of the dome of the yurt and creates an opening for the exit of the smoke, is a light window.

Colours of the flag of Kyrgyzstan

The flag is colored bright red (scarlet) and yellow (gold).

The color of the cloth could have been blue, to move away from the symbolism of the Soviet Union. However, blue is considered a mournful color in the south of the Republic. Most of those who voted for scarlet were communists, and in the national epic Manas the main character had a red banner, so the color remained the same.

“Manas” is a monument to Kyrgyz spirituality, the verse exploits of the bogatyr Manas, who led his warriors on a campaign, a monument to the struggle of the nomadic Kyrgyz people for independence, a stronghold of the moral values of the people. The epos is included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most voluminous in the world.

Meaning of colors and flag symbol

• Red is considered the national color, traditionally revered, considered a symbol of valor and courage, the very word “Kirghiz,” which means “red color.
• The golden color is associated with peace and wealth.
• Sun denotes vitality, light, cohesion and hospitality. The roofs of Kyrgyz yurts resemble the sun by their construction.
• The rays diverging from the Sun are united into a nation of 40 ancient tribes.
• Tundyuk – a collective image of the universe, the home and continuation of the family, the unity of the people of the country, a symbol of the connection of heaven and earth. It represents centuries-old traditions and the strength of the way of life.

Interesting facts about the flag:

• Along with the flag, a cloth with the national coat of arms is used in Kyrgyzstan and can be found in the offices of ministers, mayors, and officials. It was sewn in Turkey and cost $20,000 to make.
• It was suggested many times to change the symbol: change the color (red is associated with coups and bloodshed in the country), replace the tunduk with the image of a soaring leopard or mountains (in the drawing of the tunduk found a similarity to the sunflower, the symbol of a person unable to fight for their independence).
• Not having had just 3 days to approve the appearance of the cloth by the date of its official entry into the UN (March 1, 1992), Kyrgyzstan entered the Assembly with the old flag of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic mounted near its building in New York.
• The flag of Kyrgyzstan marked near the South Pole – a Kyrgyz student won an international competition with an award – a trip to Antarctica, and depicted a symbol of the State on the background of the permafrost.
• The flag is an obligatory attribute of Kyrgyz license plates.
• The first template, developed in 1992, is still used in the production of the flag.
• The tunduk, the central element of the Kyrgyz flag, is also depicted on the coat of arms of Kazakhstan and Kyzyl.
• The technical specification of the flag was approved only recently, 25 years after its approval; before that there were many modifications of the flag, with differences in design and decoration.

The flag of Kyrgyzstan was sewn overnight and underwent many changes. But it was able to retain its symbolic message to the people. Self-contained, bright, and concise, this is the modern flag of Kyrgyzstan.

General information about Kyrgyzstan

Map of Kyrgyzstan