Last modified: 2024-05-11 by ian macdonald
Keywords: ottoman empire |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
image by Željko Heimer, 2 March 1999
See also:
There was an Ottoman flag with crescent and seven-pointed star. Several sources report that the star was later replaced by a five-pointed one, without providing any evidence. Indeed, the five-pointed
star has always been present in the Imperial flag.
The five-pointed star had always pointed to the hoist, as show some flag
charts, and also Turkish charts of 1857 and 1905.
Ralf Stelter, 27 June 1999
Zanamierowski [zna99] gives 1793 as the date for the introduction of the red flag with white crescent and star (presumably as some sort of flag for national identity) and 1844 for the change from an eight-pointed to a five-pointed star, without providing any evidence, either
Christopher Southworth, 18 January 2011
image by António Martins, 18 September 2006
The flag with a seven-pointed star was the flag for "ocean-going vessels".
Ralf Stelter, 27 June 1999
Ottoman civil ensign
image by Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Muslim civil ensign
image by Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Smith [smi75c] says that
"Muslims used a green stripe through their red civil ensign."
This flag is also shown in Colton's Delineation of Flags of All
Nations (1862) [clt62] (colour plate reproduced in Znamierowski [zna99]) and captioned: "#140. Turkish Merchant".
Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Greek civil ensign
image by Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Smith [smi75c] says that "The
Christians of Greece used a blue stripe through their red civil
ensign."
This flag is also shown in Colton's Delineation of Flags of All
Nations (1862) [clt62] (colour plate reproduced in Znamierowski [zna99]) and captioned: "#141.
Ottoman Greek".
Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Albanian civil ensign
image by Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Smith [smi75c] says that "The Albanians used a black stripe through their red civil ensign", making it similar to the current Albanian civil ensign.
Ivan Sache, 10 March 2001
Ship commanded by a reserve officer
A green flag with three stars was a merchant flag for a ship commanded by captain being a reserve Ottoman Navy officer (similar to the British Blue Ensign for merchant ships).
Ralf Stelter, 27 June 1999
image by Jaume Ollé, 27 June 1999
Larousse du XXe siècle (1928) mentions under the heading ÉTENDARD CÉLESTE (lit., "celestial standard") "the standard of green colour, which is venerated by the Turks who claim it was borne by Muhammad, and hoist it on special occasions".
Ivan Sache, 18 November 2000
image located by William Garrison, 7 April 2024
A flag seen when Gen. Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) visited the "2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment" in Jan. 18, 1923 in the Kocaeli Province of Turkey. Technically, the "Ottoman Empire" ended Nov. 1, 1922 when the title of "Ottoman Sultan" was eliminated, but the "Republic of Turkey" was not proclaimed until Oct. 29, 1923.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mustafa_Kemal,_Nureddin's_inspection_of_2nd_Heavy_Artillery_Regiment.jpg - includes an xpanded original photo at link above (Gen. Kemal seen with his hand in his coat).
William Garrison, 7 April 2024