Have you ever wondered how different countries came up with the colours and designs of their national flag?  Whether the colours have any real significance or meaning to the nation’s people?

Certainly the Turkish flag tells a story… 

The Turkish Flag – which incidentally you see everywhere – came into being during the Turkish – Greek war of 1920 – 22.  it is said that red cannot be used in the colour of a flag unless the Nation’s blood has been spilled.  During this war it certainly was. 

As the story has it, after a day of intense hand to hand fighting, the sun set on a landscape of devastation.  As the Turkish soldiers searched among the bodies for their comrades, they came across a scene that was to mark them and the history of Turkey forever.  A group of Turkish soldiers had fallen in battle and lay dead around a pool of water – their blood ran into the still waters.  Above, the night sky was clear and a new moon had risen above the barren landscape.  Like a watchful brother, the North Star shone brightly next to the moon and these two – an image of hope – were reflected on the pool of blood… and people say that this was the day the Turkish flag came into being. 

The Turkish people are very proud of their flag and Turkish law (like most countries of the world) deals very severely with the offence of destroying or defacing the Nation’s flag.  If you want to verify this statement just note how often you see the Turkish flag displayed in public compared to the flag of your own country at home. 

Miniature Turkish flags, embossed in gold, which can be hung from a neck chain or bracelet, make a really interesting souvenir and can be found in most good jewellery shops.