FLAG OF TUNISIA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Tunisia consists of a completely red background with a white circle in the center, which in turn has a red crescent moon with a five-pointed star of the same color.

There is little record of how the country's first flag originated. In fact, the first designs of maritime and commercial flags are not registered, nor is the exact importance they had until the middle of the 18th century known.

Current flag of Tunisia. Orange Tuesday at en.wikipedia. Public domain.

The current flag of Tunisia is quite similar to the Turkish national flag and this is due to the roots of both countries, which were under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for many years. The historical origins of the Tunisian flag date back to the 18th century, when the entire territory of the country was already under the control of the Turks.

History

Flag of Tunisia under the rule of the Ottoman Empire (18th century)

Although there is no clear idea of ​​the Tunisian flags (and even the Turkish flags themselves) used until the 8th century, it is known that flags with a non-rectangular shape existed, and that they used blue, red and green in their design. Later in the 19th century, ruined Turkish and Tunisian flags from the region were discovered supporting this theory.

The flags were found in the regency of the Ottoman Empire in Tunisia, which supports the theory of the use of this five-stripe flag in the Tunisian rule of the Ottomans.

Furthermore, flags of this same nature are known to have been used in North Africa during the same historical period.

The organization of the stripes and colors of each banner changed, but in general, it is thought that the design of two blue stripes, two red and a central green, may have been the most common used in Ottoman Tunisia for much of the century XVIII and, perhaps, in previous years of Turkish rule. It should also be noted that the Ottoman Empire controlled the Tunis region since the 16th century.

Flag of Tunisia under the rule of the Ottoman Empire (18th century). Abjiklam - Own work. Public domain.

Beylicato of Tunisia (19th century)

The Beylicato of Tunisia was the name given to the monarchs of the country who adopted control of the entire Tunisian territory from the end of the 18th century, but who had it mainly throughout the 19th century. During the years in which the Beylicato of Tunis dominated the country, the banner of the monarchs was used in various areas of the region.

The Beylicato was presided over by the Husanid dynasty. The Beylicato flag had four yellow stripes, four red and one green in the center. The symbols it had were mainly Muslim and even the sword in the center is a reference to the legendary sword of Ali.

It should be noted that this flag was representative of the monarchs of the country. That is, it was in use throughout the nineteenth century, but it was not really a fully official flag of the nation but of its kings.

Beylicato of Tunisia (19th century). By Nwest2001 - Own work. Public domain.

French Protectorate of Tunisia (1881 - 1956)

The Ottoman Empire failed to maintain itself in the best of ways during the 19th century. In fact, the defeat of the Ottoman Empire to the Russians practically marked the end of its existence. Later there was the European colonial boom, where many powers began to divide up the African dependencies of the Ottomans.

The English offered France the region of Tunis. The proposal was accepted and, although not all countries fully agreed (particularly Italy), the deal was closed and Tunisia went on to become a French protectorate in 1881.

By this time, the Tunisian navy had already started using the current flag (or, at least, a flag very similar to this one) as its banner. When France began to exercise control over the region, a French standard was added to the top of the flag to demonstrate the country's colonial status.

However, during all this time, the Beylicato de Tunis continued to exist. Therefore, the flag of the Beylicato continued to fly on certain occasions in the country; particularly in the city where the Bey lived.

Beylicato of Tunisia (19th century). By Nwest2001 - Own work. Public domain.

Flag used eventually, with the French insignia on top. Zscout370 at English Wikipedia. Public domain.

Current flag of Tunisia (since 1956)

The current flag of Tunisia is said to have been created in the early 19th century, when the naval forces of Ottoman Tunisia were destroyed and all their flags were lost. It was decided to create a new national insignia, which turned out to be this, but was not officially adopted as the country's flag until after independence.

The theory is accepted that the current flag of Tunisia was created sometime between 1831 and 1835, although the exact date is not recorded historically. It was waved in the country on several occasions, but its official adoption did not occur until 1956, when the country ceased to be under French colonial rule.

After World War II, the United Nations was concerned with guaranteeing the independence of most of the colonies worldwide. Thus, in 1956, France set aside its control of Tunisia completely.

Current flag of Tunisia (1956 - Present). Orange Tuesday at en.wikipedia. Public domain.

Meaning

The historical origin of the flag, according to the official Tunisian tourism site, dates back to a flag used by the Kingdom of Tunis in the 19th century. In fact, it is also very similar to the maritime flag of the Ottoman Empire during the last decade of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century.

The flag has great historical significance. Red is the color used by the Ottoman Turks and Tunisians themselves to represent Islam, which is the official religion of the country and historically the most practiced in the region. The star and the crescent moon are also representative of Islam, but they are also a symbol of good luck for the inhabitants of the region.

The white color that surrounds the central symbols of the flag is the color of peace, while the star itself has a reason for being five-pointed: each point represents one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

References

1. Tunisian flag, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
2. Flag of Tunisia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from Britannica.com
3. Flag of Tunisia, Tourism of Tunisia Website, (nd). Taken from tourismtunisia.com
4. History of Tunisia Flag, Flagmakers Website, (nd). Taken from flagmakers.co.ul
5. History of Tunisia, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org