Flag of Iran

The current flag of Iran was adopted on July 29, 1980, and is a reflection of the changes brought to Iran by the Islamic Revolution. The basic set-up of the flag consists of three bands, green for Islam, white for peace, and red for courage. This basic setup has been used since the beginning of the century and also existed on the flags of the Shah's Iran. However, during the time of the Shahs, the center of the flag had an image of a lion with a sword, which is a classical symbol of Persia. Since the Islamic Revolution, this has been replaced with by a symbol which has many meanings, but that is essentially a stylized form of the word Allah. The symbol also represents four crescents with a sword in the middle. Another change brought to the flag by the Islamic Revolution has been the addition of writing to the green and red stripes in Arabic of Allahu Akbar or God is the Greatest. There are 22 copies of this inscription, and that is symbolic for the revolution occuring on the 22nd day of the 11th month in the Iranian calendar.

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