The fundamentals of the Turkish Flag were laid down by Turkish Flag Law No. 2994
of May 29, 1936. Turkish Flag Regulation No. 2/7175 dated July 28, 1937, and
Supplementary Regulation No. 11604/2 dated July 29, 1939, were enacted to
describe how the flag law would be implemented. The Turkish Flag Law No. 2893
dated September 22, 1983, and Published in the Official Gazette on September 24,
1983, was promulgated six months after its publication. According to Article 9
of Law No. 2893, a statute including the fundamentals of the implementation was
also published.
The measurements of the Turkish Flag :
G = Width
A = Distance between the centre of the outer crescent and the seam of the white
band 1/2 G
B = Diameter of the outer circle of the crescent 1/2 G
C = Distance between the centers of the inner and outer circles of the crescent
0.0625 G
D = Diameter of the inner circle of the crescent 0.4 G
E = Distance between the inner circle of the crescent and the circle around the
star 1/3 G
F = Diameter of the circle around the star 1/4 G
L = Length 1 ½ G
M = Width of the seam band 1/30 G
Color Red: Pantone 186 c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M9 0 - Y 80 - K 5
Current law on the Turkish flag
Law #2893, adopted September 22, 1983, published in the Official Gazette
September 24, 1983 No 18171, Series 5 Volume 22, p. 599
Purpose
Article 1 - The purpose of this Law is to identify the principles and procedures
about shape, construction and protection of the Turkish flag.
Shape and Construction of the Flag
Article 2 - The Turkish flag shall be a red flag with a white moon - star which
is in the shape and proportions shown in the attached table. The standards, the
fabric and material of the making of the flag and special flags (symbolic flags,
special signs, pennant, ship's pennant and official flag) are shown in the
charter.
Hoisting and Lowering the Flag
Article 3 - Flag shall be hoisted on public associations and foundations and
their abroad representatives, sea vehicles of public foundations, real and
judicial persons. It shall be hoisted on vehicles of the authorities in and out
of the country.
Hoisting and lowering of the flag shall be done with ceremony. Making of the
ceremony in appropriate way shall be under the responsability of the authorized
chief in that place.
The Turkish flag shall be hoisted on national holidays and
general holidays,
starting from holiday start and ending in the sunset of the end of the holiday.
(A recent modification of the law changed this rule. The flag shall now be
hoisted on the official buildings all the time.).
Permanent hoisting of the flag, the closed places in which the flag shall be
placed, the places where the flag shall be used as background, the way of
hoisting the flag in private places, the schedules and subjects about hoisting of
the flag on the vessels of the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkish merchant
ships
are shown in the charter.
Flying the flag at half staff
Article 4 - The Turkish flag shall be flown at half staff as a sign of mourning
on November10. (Note: November 10 is the anniversary of the death of
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1938, the founder of the modern
Republic of Turkey).
The other instances and time of flying the flag at half staff shall be announced
by the Prime Minister.
Saluting the flag
Article 5 - The flag shall be saluted when hanging and lowering or during
transfer of power ceremony.
Places that can be covered with flag
Article 6 - The coffins of former Presidents, martyrs and other civilians or
soldiers who are identified in the charter; the statues of Atatürk in opening
ceremonies and the desks in official oath ceremonies can be covered with the
Turkish flag.
In addition, the ways and places of usage of the flag according to national
customs and traditions are shown in the charter.
Prohibitions
Article 7 - The Turkish flag shall not be used as torn, unraveled, patched, with
holes in it, dirty, faded, wrinkled or in a situation that will bruise its
spiritual value.
Except for official oath ceremonies it shall not be used on desks and podiums as a cover for any purpose. It shall not be put on places where people sit or stand. The shape of the flag shall not be made to these places and similar things. It shall not be worn as a dress or uniform.
Any political party, organization, society, club, association or foundation
other than the public associations and those foundations that are determined in
the charter shall not use the flag on their emblems, pennants, symbols or
similar things that will form base or background on either side.
The Turkish Flag shall not be insulted or shown disrespect by speech, writing,
action or any other means.
The flag shall not be torn, burned, thrown or used without care.
Any action that is against this law and the charter shall be prevented and
relevant investigation shall be performed.
Sanctions
Article 8 - Making, selling and using flags that is against this law and the
charter is forbidden. The flags that are done against this prohibition shall be
collected by the local authority.
People who behave against the rules of this law shall be penalized according to
Article 526 of Turkish Penal Code if their crime does not require a heavier
punishment.
Charter
Article 9 - The matters that are said to be prescribed in the charter and other
principles concerning the application of the present law shall be shown in the
charter that will be prepared within six months after publication of the present
law.
Abrogated Law
Article 10 - The Law on Turkish Flag dated May 29,1936 (#2994) shall be
abrogated.
Validity
Article 11 - This article shall become valid after six months of its
publication.
Enforcement
Article 12 - The articles of the present law shall be enforced by the Council of
Ministers.
Meaning of the flag
It's very difficult to explain the real meaning of a flag; there are legends,
actual stories, and outright misinformation about the reason of certain colors
or designs were put on national flags. Also individuals may have their own
interpretation of their own national flag. Religious symbolism can also be
expressed via color, such as the crescent moon which is a traditional
Islamic
symbol.
Historical facts:
"Red has been prominent in Turkish flags for 700 years. The star and crescent
are Muslim symbols, but also have a long pre-Islamic past in Asia Minor. The
basic form of the national flag was apparently established in 1793 under
Ottoman Sultan Selim III, when the green flags used by the navy were changed to red and a white
crescent and multi-pointed star were added. The five-pointed star dates from
approximately 1844. Except for the issuance of design specifications, no change
was made when the Ottoman Empire became the
Republic of Turkey and the Caliphate
(religious authority) was terminated by Ataturk. Many traditions explain the star and
crescent symbol. It is known that Diana (Artemis) was the patron goddess of
Byzantium and
that her symbol was a moon. In 330, the Emperor Constantine rededicated the city
- which he called Constantinople (todays Istanbul) - to the
Virgin Mary, whose star symbol was
superimposed over the crescent. In 1453 Constantinople (Istanbul) was
captured by the
Ottoman Turks and renamed
Istanbul, but its new rulers may have adopted the
existing emblem for their own use"
Legends:
"A reflection of the moon occulting a star, appearing in pools of blood after
the battle of Kosovo in 1448, the battle during which the Ottomans defeated the
Christian forces and established the
Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe until the
end of the 19th century, led to the adoption of the Turkish flag by Sultan Murad II according to one legend. Others refer to a dream of the first
Ottoman Sultan in which a crescent and star appeared from his chest and expanded,
presaging the dynasty's seizure of Constantinople (Istanbul).
There are other legends
explaining the flag."
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