Use of Signa and Vexilla and images on flags in Iran

Last modified: 2025-04-12 by ian macdonald
Keywords: vexilla |
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• Signa
• Vexilla
• Use of images of people on flags

See also:

• Iran

Signa

Latin: "signum"; Farsi/Persian: "leer"
Here are several for Iran, c.2018:
Each signum/leer contains three parts: the main brass military-unit "logo", beneath it is a brass plate where a specific unit name is printed, and two golden tassels hand from beneath the name-plate. The bottom two photos show several blank signum/leer awaiting the placing of unit names on them. A signum/leer is 18"w. x 22 "h. x 2"d. and weighs 6 lbs.
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Forces_of_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran#/media/File:IRIA_soldiers_marching_in_formation.jpg
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Source: https://twitter.com/Iran_Military/status/1043379750419329024 
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 9 January 2020

More than a "poster", is made out of cloth, but is carried like a "placard", here maybe a cloth "vexillum".
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Iran "Artesh" [Armed Forces] signum/leer
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Iran "Pasdaran" signum/leer
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Vexilla

The photos below refer to a 22 Sept. 2019 speech by Iran President Hassan Rouhani honoring "Sacred Defence Week", whereby Iranians remember the martyr sacrifices suffered by its soldiers. One also sees band members, some of whom are holding "vexillum" (a flag-like object used as a military standard). The vexillum shown in the photos are encased inside a metal harp, and the various cloths honor military units or individuals who died as martyrs in combat. These harp-shaped vexillum have a golden fringe around the sides of the cloth, and also two long black tassels hanging from the tops of their metal harp-shaped frames.
William Garrison, 2 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 2 January 2020

From left to right:
- white slogan on the green cloth reads: "Velayat va Rahbari" (recognizing the leadership of the "Velayat-e Faqih" or the "Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist", a Shiite-Muslim concept that justifies the rule of the Shia clergy over the state).
- the national flag of Iran.
- martyr 3rd Lt. Mohsen Hojaji (d. 2017).
- white slogan on this green cloth reads: "Defa-e Moqaddas" or "Sacred Defense", which is the Iranian name of the "Iran-Iraq War" between 1980-1988.
William Garrison, 2 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 2 January 2020

Left: Pasdaran unit
Right: martyr Gen. Hossein Hamedani (d. 2015)
William Garrison, 2 January 2020

image by William Garrison, 2 January 2020

Source: https://www.islamicinvitationturkey.com/iran-parades-iran-marking-sacred-defense-week-with-military-parades/
In this photo showing 3 vexilla (cloth, not metal), while having the same central "logo", the three colors represent the three colors of the Iranian flag: green, white & red.
William Garrison, 9 January 2020

Use of images of people on flags

In response to an inquiry as to how people in Iran justify pictures of their leaders with the strict Islamic law ... that forbids depicting human beings (hence, no visuals of The Prophet)", a detailed review of this topic can be seen in Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniconism_in_Islam

The Wikipedia article claims that: "The Quran itself does not prohibit visual representation of any living being. The hadith collection of Sahih Bukhari explicitly prohibits the making of images of living beings".

As such. It seems to be sort of a "ying/yang" perspective. Austere, Wahhabi countries like Saudi Arabia really are against human or animal portraits on public buildings. But the Kingdom does allow photographs of people on passports. I collect posters from Iran. Sometimes they show the faces of various imams (saints), other times they don't. Full-face and full-figure portraits of Iranian politicians are used in political posters during elections, and in daily newspapers, and on stamps. You can view various online Saudi Arabia newspapers that display photographs of people. The Kingdom also allows portraits of their king on their stamps — practicality overrides religious delirium.
William Garrison, 7 March 2025