Ottoman Empire Flag

Facts about the Flag of Ottoman Empire Flag

1. The red field with a white crescent and star was standardised in the nineteenth century and is the direct ancestor of the modern Turkish flag.
2. The empire used many different flags simultaneously — naval, military and imperial — and the single red flag is a late development.
3. The flag of the Ottoman Empire in its final form, used from 1844 until the empire’s end in 1922.
4. The flag belongs to the Ottoman Empire. It is used in Southeast Europe, West Asia and North Africa.
5. It was founded in around 1299.
6. It is based in Constantinople, now Istanbul.
7. It was used until the empire was dissolved in 1922.
8. The flag was adopted in 1844.
9. The design is 182 years old as of 2026.
10. Construction: Red field with a white crescent and star.
11. It is normally drawn to a ratio of 2:3, which makes it rectangular.
12. The flag uses 2 colours: red and white.
13. The red stands for the field.
14. The white stands for the crescent and star.
15. Crescent and star: The emblem of the empire from 1844, carried over into the modern Turkish flag.
16. The empire lasted more than six centuries, and its crescent and star went on to appear on the flags of many successor states.
17. It is filed here under Historical Flags, one of the categories of flag that belong to no country.