The
Assyrian flag is the flag chosen by the
Assyrian people to represent the
Assyrian nation in the
homeland and in the
diaspora.
George Bit Atanus first designed the flag in 1968. The
Assyrian Universal Alliance,
Assyrian National Federation and
Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party all adopted it in 1971. The flag has a
white background with a golden circle at the center, surrounded by a
four-pointed star in blue. Four triple-coloured (red-white-blue),
widening, wavy stripes connect the center to the four corners of the
flag. The Bet-Nahrain party added[citation
needed] the figure of pre-Christian Assyrian god,
Assur known from
Iron Age iconography in red above the center.
[edit]
Symbolism
The golden circle at the center that represents the
sun, which,
by its exploding and leaping flames, generates heat and light to sustain
the earth and all its living things. The four pointed star surrounding
the sun symbolizes the land, its light
blue color
symbolizing
tranquility.
The wavy stripes extending from the center to the four corners of the
flag represent the three major rivers of the
Assyrian homeland: the
Tigris,
the
Euphrates, and the
Great
Zab. The lines are small at the center and become wider as they
spread out from the circle. The dark blue represents the Euphrates. The
red stripes,
whose blood red hue stands for courage, glory and pride, represent the
Tigris. The
white lines in between the two great rivers symbolizes the Great Zab;
its white color stands for tranquility and peace. Some interpret the
red, white and blue stripes as the highways that will take the scattered
Assyrians back to their ancestral homeland.[1]
It is also said that when the stripes are reversed with the red stripes
on top and the blue stripes on bottom, it symbolizes that the nation is
at war.[dubious
–
discuss]
The archer figure symbolizes the pre-Christian god
Assur.[2]
[edit]
Previous flags
Old Assyrian flag, prior to World War I
The Assyrian flag during World War I
Prior to
World War I, the Assyrian flag consisted of 3 layers of salmon,
white, and red. On the top left of the first layer, 3 white stars
represented the three main Churches of the Assyrian people:
Church of the East,
Chaldean Catholic Church, and
Syriac Orthodox Church (it is also used by members of the
Syriac Catholic Church). This flag was used during
delegation meetings with Assyrian politicians and Western powers
during and post World War I. The flag was used until the current design
was established. The flag was created by the
Syriac Orthodox community of
Tur
Abdin.[citation
needed]
Between 1915 and 1923, the Assyrian army used a flag that resembled
the
flag of Switzerland. It consisted of a red background, indicating
the blood spilled by the Assyrians prior to and during
World War I, and a white cross. The top left corner contained a
round seal, which was
Agha Petros's personal stamp. The seal had his name on it in two
languages (Assyrian
and
Russian).
[edit]
Gallery
-
The Assyrian star in the 1968 flag is borrowed from the ancient
Assyro-Babylonian symbol of
Shamash.
[3]
-
-
-
The
flag of Iraq 1959-1963 included a red star symbolic of the
Assyrian minority.
-
Chaldean flag proposed in December 1999
[4]
-
[edit]
References
[edit]
External links
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