The State Flag of the Kyrgyz Republic consists of a red field charged with a yellow sun that contains a depiction of a tündük, the opening in the center of the roof of a yurt (traditional nomadic tent). Adopted in 1992, just over seven months after the country's independence was declared, to replace the flag of the Kirghiz SSR, it has been the flag of Kyrgyzstan since that year. The red on the flag is said to be inspired by the pennant lifted by Manas, the country's folk hero.

History

thumb|left|upright=0.75|[[Shahada flag used by Kyrgyz rebels in revolts in 1898 and in Jizzakh in 1916.]]

left|thumb|upright=0.75|Flag used by Kyrgyz rebels in revolt in 1916.

Kyrgyz rebels wielded white banners (named "White Banner of National Liberation") during the Andijan uprising of 1898. Later, during the Central Asian revolt of 1916, they used it again during an uprising in Jizzakh

In Semirechye, under the leadership of Mokush Shabdanov, they used the white and red banner of Shabdan Dzhantayev.

Under Soviet rule, the Union Republic — coterminous with modern-day Kyrgyzstan — utilized a flag derived from the flag of the Soviet Union and representing Communism, that was adopted in 1953. It declared itself independent on 31 August 1991, approximately four months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the Soviet-era flag maintained its status as the national flag for seven months after independence was declared.

thumb|left|upright=0.75|Kyrgyz former flag in flight, photographed in 2008

In late 2023, a debate was led in the Jogorku Kengesh (parliament of Kyrgyzstan) to straighten the wavy sun rays due to its supposed similarity to a sunflower, which in Kyrgyz culture can signify "a fickle and servile person willing to switch allegiance for personal benefit". The bill passed its first reading on 29 November, and second and third readings on 20 December. The bill was signed into law by President Sadyr Japarov on 22 December. The law was officially published on 26 December and came into force on the same day.

Chronology

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Flag !! Date !! style="width:300" | Use !! style="width:300" | Description

|-

! colspan="4" | Soviet Union (1926–1991)

|-

| || 1929–1936 || Flag used during the Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic || Possible red flag with the hammer and sickle and bilingual initials for Kirghiz ASSR in the canton, however it likely was never official.

|-

| <br> || 1936–1940 ||rowspan=3| Flag used during the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic ||rowspan=2| A red flag with bilingual version of "Kirgyz SSR" in the canton.

|-

| || 1940–1952

|-

| || 1952–1991 || A red flag with a gold-bordered red star, hammer and sickle in the canton, and two navy blue bars and a white stripe in the middle.

|-

! colspan="4" | Kyrgyz Republic (1991–present)

|-

| || 1991–1992 || The flag of the Kyrgyz SSR remained in use for a year. || A red flag with a gold-bordered red star, hammer and sickle in the canton, and two navy blue bars and a white stripe in the middle.

|-

| || 1992 || rowspan="3"| National flag of the Kyrgyz Republic || All flags of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union did not bear the hammer and sickle on their reverse side.

|-

| || 1992–2023 || A yellow sun with a traditional Kyrgyz yurt motif in its center on a red field.

|-

| || 2023–present || The sun's rays were straightened to reduce its supposed resemblance to a sunflower and the number of yurt beams in the center of the flag was increased from 3 to 4

|}

Design

Symbolism

thumb|The interior view of a Kyrgyz yurt's roof

The colors and symbols of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The red field stands for "bravery and valor", The sun epitomizes peace and prosperity, as well as the number of followers he had. Although these tents are less commonly used today, which in Kyrgyz culture can signify "a fickle and servile person willing to switch allegiance for personal benefit". The bill passed its first reading on 29 November, and second and third readings on 20 December. The bill was signed into law by President Sadyr Japarov on 22 December.

The red field has been the source of much criticism. Some believe that it evokes the nation's tempestuous history, while others are of the opinion that it is a lingering remnant of communism in the country.

Color scheme

{| class=wikitable width=60% style="text-align:center;"

|-

! rowspan="2" | Colors&nbsp;scheme

! Red

! Yellow

|-

! style="background:#FF0000;"|

! style="background:#FFFF00;"|

|-

| Pantone || 1788 C || Yellow C

|-

| CMYK || 0, 100, 100, 0 || 0, 0, 100, 0

|-

|HEX

|#FF0000

|#FFFF00

|-

|RGB

|255, 0, 0

|255, 255, 0

|}

Regional flags

Each region (областы, oblasty or облусу, oblusu) of Kyrgyzstan has its own flag.

<gallery>

Batken obl flag.svg|Batken Region

Flag of Bishkek.svg|Bishkek (independent city)

Flag of Chuy Province.svg|Chüy Region

Flag of Issyk-Kul Region.svg|Issyk-Kul Region

Flag of Jalal-Abad Region.svg|Jalal-Abad Region

Naryn obl flag.svg|Naryn Region

Flag of Osh.svg|Osh Region

Flag of Talas Province Kyrgyzstan.svg|Talas Region

</gallery>

City flags

<gallery>

Batken flag.svg|Batken

Flag of Bishkek.svg|Bishkek (city with region status)

Flag of Balykchy.svg|Balykchy, Issyk-Kul Region

Flag of Karakol.svg|Karakol, Issyk-Kul Region

Flag of Manas.svg|Manas

Нарын шаарынын туусу.svg|Naryn

Flag of Osh.svg|Osh

</gallery>

Other flags

<gallery>

File:Kyrgyzstan Border Service Flag Obverse.svg|Flag of Kyrgyzstan Border Service (obverse)

File:Kyrgyzstan Border Service Flag Reverse.svg|Flag of Kyrgyzstan Border Service (reverse)

File:Military Ensign of Kyrgyz Armed Forces (Kyrgyz).svg|Flag of Kyrgyz Armed Forces (Kyrgyz)

File:Military Ensign of Kyrgyz Armed Forces (Russian).svg|Flag of Kyrgyz Armed Forces (Russian)

</gallery>

See also

  • List of Kyrgyz flags
  • Emblem of Kyrgyzstan
  • Tengrism

Notes

References

  • Kyrgyzstan – Vexillographia