Aceh War Flags and Military Colours (Indonesia)

Last modified: 2026-10-24 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: aceh |
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• War Flags
• War Flag reported 18th Century
• War Flag reported 18th Century Variant
• Black War Flag reported 18th Century
• War Flag reported 1840
• Black War Flag reported 1865
• Red War Flag reported 1865
• War Flag reported 1873
• War Flag reported 1901
• War Ensign prior to 1902
• Military Colours
• Military Colour reported 1877
• Military Colour reported 1903

See also:

• Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
• Indonesia
• Indonesia - Index of all Pages

War Flags

War Flag reported 18th Century

The flag was red with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to bottom and was adopted in the 18th century.
Source: based on sketch of John McMeekin
Jaume Ollé

War Flag reported 18th Century Variant

The flag was red with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to hoist and was adopted in the 18th century.
Source: based on sketch of John McMeekin
Jaume Ollé, 13 Dec 1997

Black War Flag reported 18th Century

The flag was red with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to hoist and was adopted in the 18th century.
Source: based on sketch of John McMeekin
Jaume Ollé, 13 Dec 1997

War Flag reported 1840

The flag is red, charged with a white scimitar shifted to fly in fess with hilt pointing to fly. On upper fly is a white disc, representing a full moon.
Source: English WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Oct 2026

Black War Flag reported 1865

The flag was black with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to hoist. Above the scimitars was a white disc, representing a full moon. There was an additional black triangular stremaer at top.
Source: English WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Oct 2026

Red War Flag reported 1865

The flag was red with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to hoist. Above the scimitars was a white disc, representing a full moon. There was an additional red triangular stremaer at top.
Source: English WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Oct 2026

War Flag reported 1873

The flag was red with two white scimitars in saltire with hilts pointing to bottom. There was an additional red triangular stremaer at top.
Source: English WIKIPEDIA
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 20 Oct 2026

War Flag reported 1901

The flag is red, charged with a white scimitar in fess with hilt pointing to hoist. The scimitar is flanked at top by a white radiant sun and at bottom by a white crescent recumbent. Furthermore between sun and crescent there are two small white discs.
Sources: English WIKIPEDIA and this photo of reverse
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 21 Oct 2026

War Ensign prior to 1902

The flag is dated by the filing card as before 1902. It is red with a vertical white stripe at hoist. The main charge is a white Zulfiqar, flanked by two white daggers at top and bottom, a white vaning crescent a hoist between two 4-point stars of the same at top and bottom.
Source: Wereldmuseum (department Leiden) filing card archive no. RV-3600-973
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Oct 2026

Military Colours

Military Colour reported 1877

The flag was captured in 1877 by the Dutch during the 2nd Aceh Expedition (1873 - 1881). Dutch Officer Johan Korndörfer made a painting of the captured flag. Its appearance does however not match the flag itself, which is also kept in another department of the Museum. The flag is red and shaped like an isosceles trapezium. The red field is completely surrounded by white edges. At hoist are vertical stripes from hoist of blue and yellow. Top, bottom and fly are surrounded by engrailed yellow edges. At fly are three tassels from top to bottom blue-yellow-white. On the red field is a white Zulfiqar, below a crescent recumbent of the same and in upper hoist corner a white sun, i.e. a white centre in red annulet in white annulet with eight white rays.
Source: Wereldmuseum (department Leiden) filing cards archive nos. WM 71240-2 and RV-255-10a
The latter explicitly says, that the painting refers to the former.
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Oct 2026

Military Colour reported 1903

The flag is dated by the filing card as prior to 1903. It is red with a white stripe alongside the hoist and the usual white crescent with 8-point star (fairly small) on centre. They flanked at top by a white kris (a ceremonial dagger) with small dark blue hilt, below by a smaller white kris and at bottom by a dark blue rifle with bayonet and white applications (visor, trigger and cartridge chamber).
Source: Wereldmuseum (department Leiden) filing card archive no. RV-1429-98
Klaus-Michael Schneider, 14 Oct 2026

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