Today, Sunday, July 28, is National Flag Day in Afghanistan. National Flag Day was established in 2019 by the previous Afghan government. Every year since, the day was celebrated across the country in honor of the national flag.
However, following the Taliban’s takeover, they replaced the country’s flag with their own across all government institutions and public places.
Taliban has since referred to their flag as the national flag of Afghanistan. Reports indicate that in some provinces, Taliban members have harassed and, at times, detained citizens for displaying the Afghan flag.
In previous National Flag Day celebrations, citizens would gather for concerts, dances, and festivities around the hoisting of the Afghan flag. To commemorate the day in 2019, the previous government distributed one million tricolor flags across Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has a history of changing its national flag with each new regime. The previous Afghan flag, featuring red, green, and black colors, was first adopted during the Loya Jirga of 1928 under the rule of Amanullah Khan. Prior to that, the Afghan flag was black. Over the years, the flag underwent several changes, with the 2004 constitution restoring the tricolor flag with minor modifications.
The use of flags in Afghanistan has a long history, dating back to the rule of Yama, the country’s first king. Although the design has evolved, the tradition has endured.
During Amanullah Khan’s reign (1919-1929), the flag featured a wheat circle with mountains and a rising sun, along with the names of Allah and Muhammad.
After Nadir Shah took power, the flag retained its tricolor design but featured a mosque with a mihrab and minbar. This design remained during the reign of his son, Mohammad Zahir Shah (1933-1973).
Following Sardar Mohammad Daoud’s coup in 1973 and the establishment of the republic, the flag’s color arrangement changed from vertical to horizontal, with a new emblem featuring wheat and an eagle.
The 1978 coup by leftist forces turned the flag entirely red, with a new emblem featuring wheat and the word “Khalq” (people).
During Babrak Karmal’s rule (1979-1986), the flag was split into two versions: a red party flag and a national tricolor flag with industrial symbols added.
With the rise of the Mujahideen government led by Burhanuddin Rabbani in 1992, the flag changed to black, white, and green.
When the Taliban took control in 1996, they changed the flag to white with the inscription “There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001 and the establishment of the interim government led by Hamid Karzai, the tricolor royal-era flag was reinstated.
Following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, they declared their own flag as the national flag of Afghanistan once again.
