Flag of Turkey

The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent and star on a red background. The flag is called Ay Yildiz (Turkish for 'moon star').

The flag has a complex origin since it is an ancient design, being almost identical to the last flag of the Ottoman Empire.

Red is a prominent color in Turkish history, especially regarding the bloody battles of the Turkish War of Independence. The crescent and star, while generally regarded as Islamic symbols today, have for long been used in Asia Minor, quite before the advent of Islam. The flag was originally simply a crescent on a green field, but this was changed in 1793 when Sultan Selim III changed the background to red. In 1844, the star was added. The star symbol actually dates back to the time of Constantine and it was considered a symbol of Mary in his time.

The shade of red used in the flag is approximated by Pantone 186, or RGB (227, 10, 23).

The flag is described according to various legends in the country, the most popular of which include:

• A reflection of the moon occulting a star, appearing in pools of blood after the battle of Kosovo in 1448, led to the adoption of the Turkish flag by Sultan Murad II.
  
• A dream of the first Ottoman Emperor in which a crescent and star appeared from his chest and expanded, presaging the dynasty's seizure of Constantinople.
  
• A crescent and star were spotted on the night of the fall of Constantinople to Mehmet II in 1453.
  
• The most widely believed, however, tells of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, walking on a battlefield one night after a victorious battle in the Turkish War of Independence, and seeing the reflection of the star and crescent formation, in a large pool of blood on the rocky hill terrain of Sakarya.