View source for Flag of Iran

{{short description|none}}
{{See also|List of Iranian flags lion and sun}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name =  Iran
| Nickname = Tricolour Flag of Iran
| Image = Flag of Iran.svg
| Use = 111111
| Symbol = {{FIAV|111111}} {{FIAV|sinister}} {{IFIS|Equal}}
| Proportion = 4:7 (de jure) (see [[#Construction|below]])
| Adoption = {{start date and age|df=yes|1907|10|7}} (original version)<br>{{start date and age|df=yes|1980|7|29}} (current version)
| Design = A horizontal tricolour of green, white, and red with the [[Emblem of Iran|National Emblem]] in red centred on the white band and the [[Takbir]] written in the Kufic script in white, repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band, for a total of 22 times on the fringe of the bands reminiscent of [[Iranian Revolution|22 Bahman]].
| Designer = [[Hamid Nadimi]]
}}

The [[national flag]] of [[Iran]], also known as the ''Tricolour Flag of Iran'' ({{langx|fa|پرچم سه‌رنگ ایران}}), is a [[tricolour (flag)|tricolour]] featuring the Pan-Iranian colours comprising equal horizontal bands of green, white and red with the [[emblem of Iran|national emblem]] (''[[Allah]]'') in red centred on the white band and the ''[[takbir]]'' written 11 times each in the [[Kufic script]] in white, at the bottom of the green and the top of the red band.<ref>[[Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran]]: Chapter II, Article 18: "The official flag of Iran is composed of green, white and red colours with the special emblem of the Islamic Republic, together with the motto ([[0]])."</ref> 

[[#Post-Constitutional Revolution|Originally adopted on 7 October 1907]] with the lion and sun emblem in the center, the current flag was adopted on 29 July 1980{{Not verified in body|date=September 2025}} following the [[Iranian Revolution]] of 1979.

Many [[Iranian diaspora|Iranian exiles]] opposed to the Iranian government use the [[Iranian monarchy]] tricolour flag with the [[Lion and Sun]] at the centre,<ref name="Najmabadi">{{citation |last=Najmabadi |first=Afsaneh |title=Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-520-24262-9 |pages=86–88}}</ref> or the tricolour without additional emblems. This is, however, not the official flag of the [[Iran|Islamic Republic of Iran]].

==Flag description==
===Colour symbolism===
The Iranian flag, which was later designed under [[Darius I]], symbolised this unity and victory (green above white and red) as the flag of the people of Iran.<ref>Koch, Heidemarie 1989: Persepolis. Theran Yasavoli</ref>{{request quotation|date=February 2019}}

====Colour scheme====
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!
! style="background:#239F40; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Green</span>
! style="background:#FFFFFF; width:200px" | <span style="color:black;">White</span>
! style="background:#DA0000; width:200px" | <span style="color:white;">Red</span>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[RGB color model|RGB]]'''
| <code>35/159/64</code> || <code>255/255/255</code> || <code>218/0/0</code>
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" | '''[[Hexadecimal]]'''
| <code>#239f40</code> || <code>#FFFFFF</code> || <code>#da0000</code> 
|-
| style="background:#F2F2F2; text-align:right" |'''[[CMYK color model|CMYK]]'''
| <code>78/0/60/38</code> || <code>0/0/0/0</code> || <code>0/100/100/15</code> 
|}

===Construction===
Physical requirements for the Iranian flag, a simple construction sheet, and a [[compass-and-straightedge construction]] for the emblem and the takbir are described in the national Iranian standard [[ISIRI]] 1.<ref>[http://www.isiri.org/portal/files/std/1.pdf ISIRI 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101150609/http://www.isiri.org/portal/files/std/1.pdf |date=1 November 2013 }} {{in lang|fa}}, 1st revision. Retrieved 19 June 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.isiri.org/portal/files/std/1.htm ISIRI 1 / IRANIAN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC FLAG, 1371] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120621160841/http://www.isiri.org/portal/files/std/1.htm |date=21 June 2012 }} {{in lang|fa}}, 3rd edition, March 1993. Retrieved 19 June 2012.</ref>

==History==
===Prehistory===
[[File:Bronze flag, Shadad Kerman, Iran.JPG|thumb|Shahdad Standard, ancient bronze flag found at [[Shahdad]], c. 2400 BC. This flag is one of the oldest in human history.]]
The oldest flag found in Iran is the [[Bronze Age]] Shahdad Standard, found in [[Shahdad]], [[Kerman province]], dating back to {{circa|2400 BCE}}, made of bronze. It features a seated man and a kneeling woman facing each other, with a star in between. This iconography can be found in other Bronze Age pieces of art in the area as well.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsmtxmD5kWcC&q=shahdad+standard&pg=PA19|title=Susa and Elam. Archaeological, Philological, Historical and Geographical Perspectives.: Proceedings of the International Congress Held at Ghent University, December 14–17, 2009.|first1=Katrien De|last1=Graef|first2=Jan|last2=Tavernier|date=7 December 2012|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004207400}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qbnyh2YH2KQC&q=shahdad+standard&pg=PA24|title=Art of the Bronze Age: Southeastern Iran, Western Central Asia, and the Indus Valley|first1=Holly|last1=Pittman|first2=Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York|last2=N.Y.)|date=12 December 1984|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn=9780870993657}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6lDgYxV0DN8C&q=shahdad+standard&pg=PA227|title=Leaving No Stones Unturned: Essays on the Ancient Near East and Egypt in Honor of Donald P. Hansen|first1=Donald P.|last1=Hansen|first2=Erica|last2=Ehrenberg|date=12 December 2017|publisher=Eisenbrauns|isbn=9781575060552}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M2QMAQAAMAAJ&q=shahdad+standard|title=Shahdad: archaeological excavations of a bronze age center in Iran|first1=Ali|last1=Hakemi|first2=Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente Centro Scavi e Ricerche|last2=Archeologiche|date=12 December 1997|publisher=IsMEO|isbn=9788120410176}}</ref>

===Achaemenid Empire===
The Old Persian word for "banner, standard" was ''drafša-'' ([[Avestan language|Avestan]] ''drafša-'', Middle Persian ''drafš'', cognate with Sanskrit '' drapsá-''). [[Xenophon]] in ''[[Cyropaedia]]'' (7.1.4) describes the standard of [[Artaxerxes II]] at [[Cunaxa]] as "a golden eagle, with outspread wings, borne aloft on a long spear-shaft",<ref>George Henry Preblem, ''The Symbols, Standards, Flags, and Banners of Ancient and Modern Nations'', The Flag Research Center (1980).</ref> the same banner recorded to be used by [[Cyrus the Great]].<ref>{{cite book | authorlink=Alireza Shapur Shahbazi | first=Alireza Shapur | last=Shahbazi | date=15 December 1994 | url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/derafs | chapter=DERAFŠ | title=Encyclopaedia Iranica | volume=VII | issue=3 | pages=312–315}}</ref>

According to [[Herodotus]] (9.59), each Persian army division had its own standard, and "all officers had banners over their tents" (Xenophon, 8.5.13). One such banner, a square plaque in [[saltire]], is depicted on a Greek vase, the so-called "Douris cup" held by the [[Louvre]].<ref>E. Pottier, ''Douris'', London, 1909, p. 105 fig. 20, Plate XXV.b</ref> A similar design is known from an [[Urartu|Urartian]] bronze disk from [[Altıntepe]].<ref>O. A. Taşyürek, "Darstellungen des urartischen Gottes Haldi", in: S. Şahin, E. Schwertheim, J. Wagner (eds.), ''Studien zur Religion und Kultur Kleinasiens. Festschrift für Friedrich Karl Dörner'', Leiden, 1978, p. 942 fig. 7; pl. CCXVIII/4–5.</ref> Similar square plaques on poles are known from six of the audience scenes of the Throne Hall relief at Persepolis.<ref>E. F. Schmidt, ''Persepolis'' I, III, Chicago, 1953, 1970., p. 166, pls. 98, 99, 123.</ref> The [[Alexander Mosaic]] of [[Pompeii]], a Roman-era copy of a Hellenistic painting dated {{circa|320 BCE}}, also shows the royal Persian standard.,<ref>T. Hölscher, ''Griechische Historienbilder des 5. und 4. Jahrhunderts v. Chr.'', Würzburg, 1973, pp. 122–69, 270–88.</ref> depicted as a rectangular plaque, possibly originally in purple, with a dark red border with yellow dots. In the field, a golden bird is only partially preserved. The "royal falcon" of Persia (''varəγna'') represented ''farr'' 'glory', while the eagle was associated with the Achaemenid dynasty itself.<ref>Aelian, ''De Natura Animalium'' 12.21 has a legend of Achaemenes having been raised by an eagle. [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]] (18:13) has "Eagle of the East" in reference to Cyrus.</ref>

A square tile representing a miniature (12&nbsp;cm<sup>2</sup>) banner was discovered at [[Persepolis]] in 1948.<ref>Īrān-Bāstān Museum, Tehran, no. 2436; Sāmī, ''Persepolis'', tr. R. Sharp, Shiraz, 1970, fig. facing p. 100; H. Luschey, "Ein königliches Emblem", AMI 5, 1972, pp. 257–60.</ref> The tile is made of Egyptian blue frit and likely represents [[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[Horus]], but in the Persian context suggests local association with the Avestan ''varəγna'' or the royal eagle of the Achaemenids.<ref>A. Shapur Shahbazi, [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/derafs DERAFŠ], ''[[Encyclopedia Iranica]]'' (1994, 2011).</ref>

===Sassanid Empire===
{{Main|Derafsh Kaviani}}
[[File:Baydad.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.25|Derafsh Kaviani appearing in a coin of a local Persian dynasty that arose near [[Persepolis]] during the [[Seleucid]] reign.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Wiesehöfer |first=Josef |title=FRATARAKA |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/frataraka |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |access-date=22 July 2012}}</ref> ]]

===Seljuk Empire===
Various emblems and banners have been recorded to be used by the [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuks]] in different periods. Early Seljuks were using their traditional emblems, but they gradually adopted local Muslim emblems and banners. The official flag of the empire was most probably a black flag, similar to the flag of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]]. The flag was decorated with emblems, which were either superimposed over it or was placed above the flag.<ref>{{lang|fa|[[Mehmet Fuat Köprülü|کوپریلی، فؤاد]] (۱۳۷۹). [https://web.archive.org/web/20200401202710/https://rch.ac.ir/article/Details/13060 «پرچم٫ ۱:تاریخچه پرچم در جهان اسلام»]. در حداد عادل، غلامعلی. دانشنامه جهان اسلام. ۵. تهران: بنیاد دایرةالمعارف اسلامی. بایگانی‌شده از اصلی در ۱ آوریل ۲۰۲۰.}}</ref> This black flag was traditionally presented to the Seljuk sovereigns by the Abbasid caliphs.<ref name="Guzel2002" />

A yellow flag was also used to denote Seljuk sovereignty over a town.<ref name="Guzel2002">{{cite book |last1=Güzel |first1=Hasan Celâl |last2=Oğuz |first2=Cem |last3=Karatay |first3=Osman |title=The Turks: Middle ages |date=2002 |publisher=Yeni Türkiye |page=595 |language=en}}</ref>

===Ghaznavid dynasty===
The Turkic [[Ghaznavid dynasty]] were invested in promoting Iranian culture. They are known to have displayed a number of heraldic emblems that harked back to pre-Islamic Iran, including the Sun and Lion motif, as well as the Griffin motif.<ref>
K. Farrokh, [http://kavehfarrokh.com/news/the-lion-and-sun-motif-of-iran-a-brief-analysis/ The Lion and Sun Motif of Iran: A brief Analysis] (2009), citing S. Nafisi, Derafsh-e Iran va Shir o Khoshid [The Banner of Iran and the Lion and the Sun]. Tehran: Chap e Rangin (1949), pp. 45, 48–58; G.H. Yusofi, Farrokh e Sistani. Mashad, (1962), p. 422.</ref> Their banners appear to have shown chequered motifs.<ref>based on the History of [[Rashid-al-Din Hamadani]], see
Rice, D. T., & Gray, B., ''The Illustrations of the "World History" of Rashīd al-Dīn'', Edinburgh (1967), plates 38, 44, 57, 60.</ref>

====Safavid dynasty====
[[File:Mehemed Rizabeg. Intendant de la province d'Erivan en Perse, fut nommé par le sultant. L'audiance de congé de l, G.43116.jpg|thumb|Flag of Iran carried by the Persian delegation during [[Mohammad Reza Beg]]'s visit to [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]], August 1715|332x332px]]
By the time the [[Safavid Iran|Safavids]] created a unified state and promoted [[Shia Islam|Shiʿism]] as the national creed, the [[Lion and Sun|lion and sun]] had become a familiar sign everywhere—on copper coins, on banners, and on artworks. although various ʿalams and banners were employed by the Safavids, the lion and sun symbol had become by the time of [[Abbas the Great|Shah Abbas]] the recognised emblem of Persia. The association may originally have been based on a learned interpretation of the [[Shahnameh]]'s references to "the Sun of Iran" and "the Moon of the [[Turan|Turanians]]/Turks." As noted earlier, the Sasanians had called their king “the Sun of the East” and the [[Roman emperor]] "the Moon of the West." The evidence of the  Shahnameh was certainly well known to the Safavid kings. Since the crescent moon had been adopted as the dynastic and ultimately national emblem of the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultans, who were the new sovereigns of “Rūm,” the Safavids of Persia, needing to have a dynastic and national emblem of their own, chose the lion and sun motif.<ref name="iranica">{{cite web |title=Encyclopædia Iranica: FLAGS i. Of Persia |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/flags-i |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref>



===Afsharid dynasty===
[[Nader Shah]] consciously avoided the using the colour green, as green was associated with [[Shia Islam]] and the [[Safavid dynasty]].<ref>Shapur Shahbazi|1999|Encyclopædia Iranica</ref>

[[File:Afsharid Flag.jpg|400x400px|thumb|upright|Imperial Standards of the Afsharid dynasty]]

The two imperial standards were placed on the right of the square already mentioned: one of them was in stripes of red, blue, and white, and the other of red, blue, white, and yellow, without any other ornament: though the old standards required 12 men to move them, the shah lengthened their staffs, and made them yet heavier; he also put new colours of silk upon them, the one red and yellow striped, the other yellow edged with red: they were made of such an enormous size, to prevent their being carried off by the enemy, except by an entire defeat. The regimental colours were a narrow slip of silk, sloped to a point, some were red, some white, and some striped.<ref>Hanway, Jonas (1753). "XXXVII". An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea: With a Journal of Travels through Russia into Persią. 248-249. London: Mr. Dodsley. Retrieved 15 January 2020.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.31214/page/n275/mode/2up | title=An Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea Vol.1,2 | year=1753 }}</ref>

Navy Admiral flag being a white ground with a red Persian Sword in the middle.<ref>Nādir Shāh's Campaigns in 'Omān, 1737–1744
By Laurence Lockhart, Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1935), pp. 157–171
</ref>

====Flags====
{{gallery items|width=180
|[[File:Afsharid Imperial Standard (3 Stripes).svg|180x100px]]|An Imperial Standard of the Afsharid dynasty
|[[File:Afsharid Imperial Standard (4 Stripes).svg|180x100px]]|Another Imperial Standard of the Afsharid dynasty
|[[File:Imperial_Flag_of_Nader_Shah_(2nd_Series)_-_No._1.svg|180x100px]]|Nader Shah's flag
|[[File:PersiaNavalFlagAfsharidPeriod.svg|180x100px|border]]|Naval flag of Afsharid period
}}

===Zand dynasty===
The state flag of the [[Zand dynasty]] was a white triangular pennant with a green border and a gold lion and sun in the centre.<ref name="kavehfarrokh">{{cite news |title=The Lion and Sun Motif of Iran: A brief Analysis |newspaper=Dr. Kaveh Farrokh |url=http://www.kavehfarrokh.com/news/the-lion-and-sun-motif-of-iran-a-brief-analysis/ |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref> Another version shown below included the same design but with green and red.

====Flags====
{{gallery items|width=180
|[[File:Zand Dynasty flag.svg|180x100px]]|Flag of the Zand dynasty
|[[File:Another Zand Imperial Standard.png|180x100px]]|Another Flag of the Zand dynasty
|[[File:Zand "Ya Karim" Flag.png|180x100px]]|The "Ya Karim" flag, which was a pun on [[Karim Khan Zand]]'s name, and Al-Karim (the generous), which is one of the [[names of God in Islam]]
}}

===Early Qajar dynasty===
Few sources directly describe the national flag during Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar's reign. [[:fa:غلامحسین افضل‌الملک|Gholam Hossein Afzal ol-Molk]] refers to the ''Beyraq Qapuq'' ('execution flag') of the [[Naser al-Din Shah Qajar|Naserid]] period as originating from Agha Mohammad Khan's time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=ببری‌دیزج |first=مهربان |date=1388 |title=انواع بیرق و کاربردهای آن در نتایج یک پژوهش عهد ناصری |url=http://ensani.ir/file/download/article/20101205121438-Pages%20from%20payam5-51.pdf |journal=يام بهارستان |pages=908}}</ref> This [[pennon]] flag is red and displays the lion and sun motif with a sword, although it is unlikely that the emblem resembled that of Agha Mohammad Khan's time given the sword-less design on the coins of this era. Several modern sources attribute a square flag with a red background and a pale yellow circle in the center, featuring a lion and a sun motif with a sword, to the period of [[Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar|Agha Mohammad Shah]]. The only visible source for this design is an unidentified portrait of Agha Mohammad Shah, where such a banner is present next to him. This painting was featured on the cover of the 1992 book ''Les Rois oubliés: L'épopée de la dynasty Kadjare'', by [[Ali Mirza Qajar]] (grandson of [[Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar]]). Moreover, the painting was also photographed at a Qajar family gathering at Chateau de Bonmont, [[Chéserex|Cheserex, Switzerland]] in 2003.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-03 |title=Meine Familie – Home |url=https://www.zarrinkafsch-bahman.org/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403103728/https://www.zarrinkafsch-bahman.org/ |archive-date=3 April 2019 }}</ref>

In contradistinction, various contemporary and modern sources provide more detailed descriptions of Iranian flags and the development of the lion and sun motif during Fath-Ali Shah's rule, particularly in military contexts. [[:fa:گاسپار دروویل|Colonel Gaspard Drouville]], a French officer who served as a military instructor for the Iranian government after the signing of the [[Treaty of Finckenstein]], authored a two-volume travelogue that offers additional information on Iranian flags and standards.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Zoka |first=Yahya |date=1344 |title=تاریخچه تغییرات و تحولات درفش و علامت دولت ایران از آغاز سده سیزدهم هجری قمری تا امروز |url=http://ensani.ir/file/download/article/20101114173555-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AE%DA%86%D9%87%20%DB%8C%20%D8%AA%D8%BA%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D9%88%20%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B4%20%D9%88%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AA%20%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%20%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%A2%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%B3%D8%AF%D9%87%20%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B2%D8%AF%D9%87%D9%85%20%D9%87%D8%AC%D8%B1%DB%8C%20%D9%82%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%20%D8%AA%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2.pdf |journal=هنر و مردم |pages=14}}</ref> [[File:Drapeau et etendard persans 1797-1848.jpg|thumb|right|The illustration from Drouville's ''Voyage en Perse'' depicts the smaller cavalry flag (left) and the larger infantry flag (right).]]Drouville expounds that in 1813, [[Fath-Ali Shah Qajar]] and [[Abbas Mirza]] attended a royal inspection of the [[Military history of Iran|regular infantry]] in [[Khanates of the Caucasus|Azarbaijan]] to personally confer each standard to their respective corps.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Drouville |first=Gaspard |title=Voyage en Perse, fait en 1812 et 1813, Volume 1 |publisher=Masson et Yonet |year=1825 |pages=116 |language=French}}</ref> These flags included the lion and sun motif, a date or number pertaining to the unit, and the inscription: ''"Sultan ibn Sultan Fath-Ali Shah Qajar"'' (Sultan son of Sultan Fath-Ali Shah Qajar), in reference to [[Abbas Mirza]]'s title.<ref name=":1" /> The flags and standards are further described as similar to those of the French, adorned with taffeta white streamers and golden fringes.<ref name=":1" /> Based on Drouville's illustration, the larger flags of the regular infantry were painted red, and the flagpole was crowned by the silver [[Ali|Hand of Ali]]. The smaller standards that were prescribed to the cavalry lancers were a deep blue and featured a crouching lion brandishing a curved sword before a setting sun. These standards were topped by golden spears that were "as sharp as those of the [[Uhlan|Houlans]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Drouville |first=Gaspard |title=Voyage en Perse, fait en 1812 et 1813, Volume 1 |publisher=Masson et Yonet |year=1825 |pages=118 |language=French}}</ref>[[File:Abbas Mirza in battle.jpg|left|thumb|224x224px|Illustration published by Lemercier & Cie, captioned: u''ne revue d Abbas-Mirza, Ser-Bâz (Infanterie régulière).'']]
An illustration by the French battle painter [[Hippolyte Bellangé|Joseph Louis Hippolyte Bellangé]] depicts Abbas Mirza reviewing Persian regular troops. The infantry corps carries a standard with a spearhead finial bearing a couchant lion and sun with a sword, similar to the cavalry flag of the Nezam lancers depicted by Drouville. However, as the work dates to 1835, two years after Abbas Mirza's death, the flag's design may be an artistic oversight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brown Digital Repository {{!}} Item {{!}} bdr:231139 |url=https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:231139/ |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=repository.library.brown.edu}}</ref> 
[[File:Qajar regular infantry (drummer, soldier, officer) and a military banner.jpg|thumb|Sketch of a Qajar military drummer, infantryman and officer, including a sarbaz infantry banner from Yermolov's ''Collection of Notes on Persia in 1817''.]]
In his accounts of the Russo-Persian war, [[Aleksey Yermolov (general)|Captain Yermolov]], the Russian commander-in-chief in the Caucasus, documented the Iranian military in detail. One excerpt from his notes provides a vivid portrayal of a Nezam drummer, soldier, and officer carrying a Sarbaz infantry military banner dated to 1817. This banner, which shares many similarities with contemporary European regimental flags, features a lion and sun motif devoid of a sword within a white [[Lozenge (shape)|lozenge]] accented by a golden border. The light blue banner boasts a flagpole crowned by the silver [[Ali|Hand of Ali]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=PERSIAN REGULAR ARMY OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY (part 1) |url=https://warfare.6te.net/Persia/19/The_Persian_Regular_Army.htm |access-date=2023-04-10 |website=warfare.6te.net}}</ref> 
[[File:Recreated Sarbaz Infantry Banner from Battle of Sultanabad.jpg|left|thumb|155x155px|Recreation of the regimental standards carried by the Qajar infantry corps in the painting of the [[Battle of Sultanabad]] at the [[Hermitage Museum]]. ]]
[[File:Battle Between Persians and Russians - State Hermitage Museum.jpg|thumb|223x223px|A painting of the Iranian victory at the Battle of Sultanabad displaying the Napoleonic-style military banners held by the sarbaz infantry corps.]]
A painting, believed to be the work of [[:fa:الله‌وردی افشار|Allahverdi Afshar]] between 1814 and 1817, which adorned the walls of Abbas Mirza's [[Bostanabad|Ojan castle]] portrays the Iranian triumph at the [[Battle of Sultanabad]] on 13 February 1812. The painting exhibits Persian troops carrying banners of Napoleonic style, featuring the passant lion and sun equipped with a sword.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Battle of Sultanabad, Persia, 1812 |url=http://warfare.6te.net/Persia/19/Sultanabad.htm |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=warfare.6te.net}}</ref>

No contemporary sources have made any other indications of a sword wielded by the lion until the reign of [[Mohammad Shah Qajar|Mohammad Shah]].<ref name=":0" /> Nonetheless, this illustration provides valuable insight into the evolution of the emblem and its use on Iranian flags during the Qajar period.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Zoka |first=Yahya |date=1344 |title=تاریخچه تغییرات و تحولات درفش و علامت دولت ایران از آغاز سده سیزدهم هجری قمری تا امروز |journal=هنر و مردم |pages=15–16}}</ref> However, Zoka mentions the inscription of a coin from the [[Urmia]] mint, dated 1833 (1249 AH), in which a couchant lion is depicted holding a sword. According to Zoka, these sources prove that the earliest representation of the sword-wielding lion and sun pre-dates the reign of Mohammad Shah and was likely institutionalised in the latter years of Fath-Ali Shah's reign.<ref name=":2" />

During Fath-Ali Shah's reign, the state flag and other flags adopted by the Iranian government purportedly opted for square or rectangular shapes over the [[Pennon|pennon flags]] commonly used in earlier eras. Another distinction noted in the designs of the lion and sun depicted on coins and flags of Fath-Ali Shah's era relative to those of prior years is the appearance of the lion. Before the middle of Fath-Ali Shah's reign, a [[Asiatic lion|Persian lion]], which is maneless and smaller in stature was prominent, whereas later depictions evolved to an [[African lion]].<ref name=":2" /> Towards the end of Fath-Ali Shah's reign the two common symbols of the Qajar empire were combined to include the [[Zulfiqar]] and the lion and sun in the official flag.<ref name="iranica" />

While there is little evidence, several modern sources state that [[Fat′h-Ali Shah Qajar|Fath-Ali Shah]] adopted three different state flags; a plain red flag with a couchant lion and sun motif as the [[war flag]], a plain white flag with a couchant lion and sun for diplomatic purposes, and a green flag with a lion passant in front of the setting sun, wielding a sword during peacetime.<ref name="kavehfarrokh" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Iranian Flag, A Brief History (English version) |url=http://www.iraniansofmemphis.org/articles/Iranian%20Flag%20background%20-%20english.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726185444/http://www.iraniansofmemphis.org/articles/Iranian%20Flag%20background%20-%20english.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=12 November 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Iranian flag; painting by Alexis Soltykoff.jpg|thumb|Painting of the Iranian delegation to St. Petersburg. The standard-bearer is holding a white lion and sun flag, in which the lion is wielding a curved sword.]]
[[Alexey Saltykov (1806–1859)|Alexis Soltykoff's]] ''Voyage en Perse'' includes an illustration depicting a standing lion wielding a sword. The painting is titled ''Entrée de l'ambassade de Perse a St. Petersbourg'' ('Entrance of the Persian Embassy to [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]]') and shows the arrival of [[Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ilchi]], then the Iranian ambassador to Russia, in 1838. The image features a Persian standard-bearer holding a rectangular flag with a lion passant, holding a curved sword in front of the setting sun. Atop the flagpole is the [[Ali|Hand of Ali]] finial. The painting was included in Soltykoff's book, which was published in 1851, several years after the events it depicts.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Zoka |first=Yahya |date=1344 |title=تاریخچه تغییرات و تحولات درفش و علامت دولت ایران از آغاز سده سیزدهم هجری قمری تا امروز (2) |url=http://ensani.ir/file/download/article/20101114174406-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%AE%DA%86%D9%87%20%D8%AA%D8%BA%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D9%88%20%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%20%D8%AF%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B4%20%D9%88%20%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AA%20%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA%20%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%20%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%A2%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%B3%D8%AF%D9%87%20%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%B2%D8%AF%D9%87%D9%85%20%D9%87%D8%AC%D8%B1%DB%8C%20%D9%82%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%20%D8%AA%D8%A7%20%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B2%20(2).pdf |journal=هنر و مردم |pages=33–34}}</ref>

French orientalist [[Louis Dupeux]] stated that one of the privileges enjoyed by the Shah of Iran was the right to "raise" several flags. Dubeux suggests that [[Mohammad Shah Qajar|Mohammad Shah]] had two flags. He describes one of these flags as displaying the [[Zulfiqar]] while the other depicted a couchant lion and sun motif.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dubeux |first=Louis |title=La Perse |publisher=Firmin Didot frères |year=1841 |location=Paris |pages=462 |language=French}}</ref> 
[[File:Triangular banner of Moḥammad Shah1.png|thumb|The triangular banner of Mohammad Shah from the painting depicting the Battle of Ghurian.]]
While Iranian flags and military banners were largely uniform and similar in design by Mohammad Shah's reign, ''Ahmad Naqash's'' 1860 oil painting depicting the successful Iranian siege of the fort of [[Ghurian]] in 1837 serves as a contradictory source of information. Several noteworthy discrepancies arise. Firstly, the use of pennon banners is unusual as square and rectangular flags were more prominently used in Iran and adopted by the military at that time. Secondly, the sword-less lion and sun motif depicted in the painting is outdated. Thirdly, the white and green colour combination contradicts contemporary literature describing military banners and standards as being red or blue. According to Zoka, the painter may have relied on local designs as the work likely originated from [[Isfahan]] or [[Shiraz]], where forts in the provinces often raised flags different from those in [[Tehran]]. Zoka also suggests that the Herat expedition's army could have reused dated standards predating the new designs.<ref name=":3" />

Under [[Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar|Nasser al-Din Shah]], the principal flag was white with a green border on three sides and a lion and emblem in the centre.<ref>{{cite book |last=Le Gras |first=M. A. |title=Album des pavillons, guidons et flammes de toutes les puissances maritimes |publisher=Dépôt des Cartes et Plans de la Marine |location=Paris |year=1858}}</ref> There was also a naval ensign which had a red and green border and a civil ensign which looked the same as the naval ensign but without the lion and sun in the middle.

====Flags====
{{gallery items|width=180
|[[File:Flag of Agha Mohammad Khan.svg|180x100px|border]]|Flag of Mohammad Khan
|[[File:War Flag of Fath Ali Shah.svg|180x100px|border]]|War flag of Fat′h Ali Shah
|[[File:Fath Ali Shah Flag 1.svg|180x100px|border]]|Diplomatic flag of Fat′h Ali Shah

|[[File:Peace Flag of Fath Ali Shah (with sword).svg|180x100px|border]]|Peace flag of Fat′h Ali Shah (version with sword)
|[[File:Mohammad Shah Qajar Flag.svg|180x100px|border]]|Flag used during the reign of Mohammad Shah
|[[File:Amir Kabir Flag.svg|180x100px|border]]|Tricolour flag designed by Amir Kabir, State flag 1848–1852

|[[File:Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg|180x100px|border]]|State flag 1852–1907
|[[File:Qajar Civil Ensign.svg|180x100px|border]]|Civil ensign until 1906
|[[File:Qajar Naval Ensign.svg|180x100px|border]]|Naval ensign until 1906

|[[File:Tricolour Flag of Iran (1886).svg|180x100px|border]]|Tricolour flag reported in 1886
}}

===Post-Constitutional Revolution===
[[File:State flag of Persia (1907–1933).svg|thumb|State flag of Iran (1907–1933). This flag was standardised during the constitutional monarchy era, but the main flag elements were unchanged and described in the Iranian supplementary fundamental laws of 7 October 1907.]]
The first version of the modern Iranian tricolour was adopted in the wake of the [[Iranian Constitutional Revolution]] of 1906.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} The [[Persian Constitution of 1906#The supplementary fundamental laws of October 7, 1907|Supplementary Fundamental Laws]] of 7 October 1907 described the flag as a tricolour of green, white, and red, with a lion and sun emblem in the middle.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Edward G. |last=Browne |year=1910 |orig-date=October 7, 1907 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |quote=Art. 5. The official colours of the Persian flag are green, white and red, with the emblem of the Lion and the Sun. |title=The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909/Appendix A: The Bases of the Persian Constitution |section=4. The Supplementary Fundamental Laws of October 7, 1907 |page=373 |url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Persian_Revolution_of_1905-1909/Appendix_A#373 |via=[[Wikisource]]}}</ref> A decree dated 4 September 1910 specified the exact details of the emblem, including the shape of the lion's tail and the position and the size of the lion, the sword, and the sun.<ref name="Najmabadi" />

During this period, the colours of the flag were very pale, with the red appearing closer to pink in practice. There were three variants of the flag in use. The [[state flag]] was a tricolour with the lion and sun emblem in the centre. The [[national flag]] and [[civil ensign]] was a plain tricolour with no emblem. The [[naval ensign]] and [[war flag]] was similar to the state flag, but the emblem was surrounded by a wreath and surmounted by a crown. All three flags had a 1:3 ratio.{{Citation needed|reason=This entire paragraph is unsourced. I'm especially sceptic of the idea that the flag was pink, even if just de facto.|date=June 2025}}

The flag was modified twice during the [[Pahlavi Iran|Pahlavi era]]. In 1933, the colours of the flag were darkened and the design of the emblem was changed. The sun's facial features were removed and the [[Kiani Crown]] on the naval ensign was replaced with the [[Pahlavi Crown]].{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} In 1964, the ratio was changed from 1:3 to 4:7 and the emblem on the naval ensign was shrunk to fit entirely within the white stripe.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

Following the [[Iranian Revolution]], the [[Interim Government of Iran (1979)|Interim Government of Iran]] removed the crown from the naval ensign. The old state and national flags remained unchanged until 29 July 1980, when the modern Iranian flag was adopted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://flagspot.net/flags/ir_tra79.html |title=Flags of the World: Iran: Transition period (1979–1980) |access-date=10 November 2010}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2025|reason=The source does not mention 29 July 1980 nor that "the modern Iranian flag was adopted".}} However, the post-revolutionary Iranian government had viewed the Lion and Sun symbol as representing the "oppressive [[Westernising]] monarchy" that had to be replaced, despite the emblem's traditional [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] meanings and the lion's association with [[Ali]], the first [[Imam]] of the Shi'a.<ref>{{citation |last=Babayan |first=Kathryn |author-link=Kathryn Babayan |title=Mystics, Monarchs, and Messiahs: Cultural Landscapes of Early Modern Iran |publisher=Harvard College |year=2002 |page=491 |isbn=0-932885-28-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WLoUePLTdfgC&q=lion+and+sun&pg=PA491}}</ref> For that reason, the name of the [[Red Lion and Sun Society]] was changed to [[Red Crescent Society]].

[[File:Man with the lion and sun umbrella.jpg|upright|thumb|The political [[Iranian diaspora]] use the lion and sun emblem on Iranian flags.<ref name="Najmabadi" />]]
Currently, the Lion and Sun flag is used by Iranian communities in exile as a symbol of opposition to the Islamic Republic. Some political groups in Iran, including monarchists, continue to use it as well. In [[Los Angeles]], California and other cities with large Iranian expatriate communities, the Lion and Sun, as a distinguishing marker, appears on Iranian flags and souvenirs to an extent that far surpasses its display during the years of monarchy in its homeland,<ref name="Najmabadi" /> where the plain tricolour was usually used even prior to the revolution. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the replacement of the lion and sun flag with the new flag, new designs of this flag were still presented.

==Historical flags==
{| 
! Years in use !! Naval ensign !! Civil flag !! State flag
|-
!1736–1747
|<gallery mode="nolines">PersiaNavalFlagAfsharidPeriod.svg|Naval flag of Nader Shah<br>(1736–1747)
</gallery>
|<gallery mode="nolines">Naderian Afsharid Flag 1.png|Diplomatic flag of Nader Shah<br>(1736–1747)
</gallery>
|<gallery mode="nolines">Afsharian Flag 2.png|War flag of Nader Shah<br>(1736–1747)
</gallery>
|-
!1797–1834
|<gallery mode="nolines">War Flag of Fath Ali Shah.svg|War flag of Fat′h Ali Shah<br>(1797–1834)
</gallery>
|<gallery mode="nolines">Fath Ali Shah Flag 1.svg|Diplomatic flag of Fat′h Ali Shah<br>(1797–1834)
</gallery>
|<gallery mode="nolines">Peace Flag of Fath Ali Shah (with sword).svg|Peace flag of Fat′h Ali Shah<br>(1797–1834)
</gallery>
|-
!1834–1848
|
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">Mohammad Shah Qajar Flag.svg|Flag used during the reign of Mohammad Shah<br>(1834–1848)
</gallery>
|-
!1848–1852
|
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">Amir Kabir Flag.svg|[[State flag]]<br>(1848–1852)
</gallery>
|-
!1852–1906
|<gallery mode="nolines">Qajar Naval Ensign.svg|[[Naval ensign]]<br>(1852–1906)
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">Early 20th Century Qajar Flag.svg|[[State flag]]<br>(1852–1906)
</gallery>
|-
!1906–1907, 1910–1933
|<gallery mode="nolines">Naval Ensign of Iran (1907–1933).svg|Naval ensign<br>(1906–1907, 1910–1933)
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">State flag of Persia (1907–1933).svg|State flag<br>(1906–1933)
</gallery>
|-
!1933–1964
|<gallery mode="nolines">Naval Ensign of Iran (1933–1964).svg|Naval ensign<br>(1933–1964)
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">State Flag of Iran (1925).svg|State flag<br>(1933–1964)
</gallery>
|-
!1964–1979
|<gallery mode="nolines">File:Naval ensign of Iran (1964–1979).svg|War flag and ensign<br>(1964–1979)
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">
File:State flag of Iran (1964–1980).svg|State flag (1964–1979)
</gallery>
|-
!1979–1980
|<gallery mode="nolines">File:Naval Ensign of Iran (1979–1980).svg|Naval ensign<br>(1979–1980)
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">
First Flag of I.R.Iran.svg|State flag<br>(1980)
</gallery>
|-
!1980–present
|<gallery mode="nolines">File:Flag of Iran.svg|Naval flag <br>(1980–''present'')
</gallery>
|
|<gallery mode="nolines">File:Flag of Iran.svg|State flag<br>(1980–''present'')
</gallery>
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" widths="200">
File:Iran flag photo.jpg|Iranian flag (as the Islamic Republic) in this photo.
File:Hassan Rouhani in Rasht, Gilan (1).jpg|Supporters of [[Hassan Rouhani]] with Islamic Republican flags plastered.
File:Iran Revolution 38th anniversary celebrations in Zanjan 01.jpg|Child with the Islamic Republic flag during the 38th anniversary of the [[Iranian Revolution]].
File:Irans ambassade Oslo.jpg|Flag of the Islamic Republic flying at the Iranian Embassy in Oslo.
File:Iranian Flag Abshar Park2.jpg|Islamic Republican flag flown at Abshar Park.
File:Iranian residence Prague Dejvice 6144.JPG|Residential Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Prague with the national flag.
File:Iranian female football fan.jpg|Football fan holding the Islamic Republic flag.
File:Iranian flags with sun and lion.jpg|Two flags of the Imperial Lion and Sun flying.
File:2500 year celebration (2).jpg|Soldiers in the parade with the series of Imperial flags during the [[2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire]].
File:Hassan Dai - Diaoleslam - Persian political activist - Toronto 2015.jpg|Political activist Hassan Dai addressing in Toronto with the Imperial flag.
File:Special military ceremony- University of Imam Hussein -Commander-in-chief of Iranian Armed Forces (26).jpg|Ayatollah [[Ali Khamenei]] inspecting troops with the Islamic Republic military colours during a special ceremony.
File:Mohammad Bagheri at Shahid Satari University 7.jpg|[[Mohammad Bagheri (Iranian commander)|Mohammad Bagheri]] speaking with the Islamic Republic and military flags at the background.
File:Kimia Alizade.jpg|[[Lap of Honor]] of [[Kimia Alizade]] during [[2016 Summer Olympics]] with the Islamic Republic tricolour flag of [[Iran]]
File:Iran solidairty protests 22 October 2022 in Berlin 19.jpg|A number of Imperial flags seen in Germany in solidarity during the [[Mahsa Amini protests]], October 2022.
File:Sadeq Tabatabaei and flag.jpg|[[Sadeq Tabatabaei]] speaking at a post-revolution press conference with the Imperial flag behind him.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Iran|Heraldry}}
* [[Emblem of Iran]]
* [[Imperial Standards of Iran]]
* [[Lion and Sun]]
* [[Flag of Kurdistan]]
* [[Flag of Tajikistan]]
* [[List of flags used by Iranian peoples]]
* [[List of Iranian flags]]
* [[Flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|National flag of Iran}}
* [http://www.vexilla-mundi.com/iran_flag.html ''Vexilla Mundi''].
* [http://www.rbvex.it/asiapag/iran.html Flags Of Iran]
* [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/flags-i Flags i. Of Persia]—''[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]''
* [http://www.parstimes.com/flag/ Iran Flag & National Anthem]
* [http://0xc.de/flags/iran/ Geometric, algebraic and numeric construction of the National Flag]
* [https://flagofiran.com/ Iran's Lion and Sun flag website]

{{Asia topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Asia]]}}
{{National symbols of Iran}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag of Iran}}
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1980|Iran]]
[[Category:Flags of Iran| ]]
[[Category:Tricolor flags|Iran]]
[[Category:Culture of Iran]]
[[Category:National flags|Iran]]
[[Category:National symbols of Iran]]
[[Category:Flags with green, red and white|Flags with green]]