Flag of the Ottoman Empire
Officially Sublime Ottoman State
Locally Devlet-i Âliye-i Osmâniye · دولت عليه عثمانيه
What the flag looks like
A red field with a white crescent, opening towards the fly, and a white five-pointed star just beyond it.
What it means
The crescent and star became emblems of the Ottoman state in the late 18th century and are widely associated with the Islamic world.
How to remember it
The Ottoman flag is the direct parent of Turkey's
and practically the same white crescent and star on red; Tunisia
sets its red crescent inside a white disc instead.
Fun facts
- The flag was adopted in 1844, during the Tanzimat reforms that modernised the Ottoman state.
- The Republic of Turkey kept the flag and fixed its exact proportions in the Turkish Flag Law of 1936.
Ottoman Empire at a glance
- Existed
- 1299–1922
- Flag used
- 1844–1922
- Today
- Turkey and much of the Balkans, Middle East and North Africa
- Capital
- Constantinople
- Region
- 1299–1922
- Languages
- Ottoman Turkish
- Currency
- Ottoman lira
- Flag adopted
- 1844
Flags often confused with the Ottoman Empire
- Turkey: The Ottoman Empire and Turkey both show a white crescent and five-pointed star on red, and are essentially the same flag. Turkey fixed the exact sizes and positions by law in 1936, so differences are only in fine proportions.
- Tunisia: The Ottoman Empire and Tunisia both use a crescent and star on red. The Ottoman flag has a white crescent and star directly on the red; Tunisia has a red crescent and star inside a white disc.
- Azerbaijan: The Ottoman Empire and Azerbaijan both show a white crescent and star on red. The Ottoman flag is all red; Azerbaijan's red is only the middle of blue, red and green stripes, and its star has eight points.