A horizontal triband of azure, white and green, separated by two narrow red stripes. A white crescent and three rows of twelve white five-pointed stars are situated on the left side of the upper azure stripe. [1]
The national flag of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: Oʻzbekiston Respublikasining davlat bayrogʻi, Ўзбекистон Республикасининг давлат байроғи) consists of a horizontal triband of azure, white and green, separated by two thin red fimbriations, with a white crescent moon and twelve white stars at the canton. Adopted in 1991 to replace the flag of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR), it has been the flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan since the country gained independence in that same year. The design of the present flag was partly inspired by the former one.
The image of the crescent moon is connected with Uzbek historical imagery as well as being a symbol of the birth of a new nation. The stars represent spirituality and divinity, as well as an allusion to Uzbek historical tradition and calendar.[4] The stars are also a symbol of the pursuit of perfection and happiness of Uzbek people in their homeland.[5]
The government of Uzbekistan does not specify which hues should be used on its flag and instead generalizes them as azure, white, green, and red. [6]
On 27 December 2010, President Islam Karimov signed an amendment to the law that strengthened the protection of the country's symbols, including its flag and emblem. It banned the utilization of the flag of Uzbekistan for promotional and commercial purposes, including its usage in advertisements and documents. It also forbade any organizations that are not affiliated with the Uzbek government from adopting logos that resemble the national symbols.[7]
Uzbekistan declared itself independent on 1 September 1991, approximately three months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[3] A search for a national flag began soon after, with a contest being held to determine the new design.[8] More than 200 submissions were made, and a commission was formed in order to evaluate these suggestions coming from a variety of stakeholders.[9] The winning design was adopted on 18 November 1991,[8] after being selected at an extraordinary session of the Uzbek Supreme Soviet.[10][11] In doing so, Uzbekistan became the first of the newly independent republics in Central Asia to choose a new flag.[12] Pertaining to its tricolour combination of horizontal stripes of blue, white and green colour, it is similar to the flags of Lesotho, an enclaved country within the border of South Africa, and Puntland, a Somali federal state at the tip of the Horn.[13]
^Republic of Uzbekistan. "О ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОМ ФЛАГЕ РЕСПУБЛИКИ УЗБЕКИСТАН" [On The National Flag of the Republic of Uzbekistan] (in Russian). The National Legal Information Center. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
