The flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran is a rectangular panel with a width to length ratio of 4: 7. The flag rectangle consists of three equal-width stripes arranged horizontally. The lower stripe is red, and its color symbolizes the shed blood and courage of the Iranian soldiers in the many battles that have fallen to their lot. In the middle of the flag there is a white stripe - a symbol of peace and order. In the upper part of the cloth there is a green stripe, which embodies joy and fertility, youth and rebirth.
Once upon a time, the three colors of the Iranian flag were associated with the three estates into which society was divided. The clergy preferred white as the personification of moral holiness and purity of thoughts. The military wore red as a symbol of valor and self-sacrifice. Community-farmers revered green, which symbolized nature and prosperity for them.
Since the beginning of the last century, the Iranian tricolor has been decorated with the image of a lion holding a sword in its paws, which is a symbol of Persia. The Islamic revolution in Iran, which began in 1978, caused many changes in the state structure of the country. Along with the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of a new administration, many state symbols also changed. The golden lion disappeared from the Iranian flag, and instead a stylized version of the word "Allah" appeared, made in the form of four crescents and a sword. The red and green stripes received the phrase "God is great" woven twenty-two times into the flag's field. This symbolizes the date of the Islamic Revolution, which took place, according to the Iranian calendar, on the twenty-second day and the eleventh month.
The very first Iranian tricolor was discovered by archaeologists during excavations of the Apadana Palace in the ancient city of Persepolis. This palace was built in the 5th century BC and is considered one of the most interesting and significant buildings of that distant era. The former capital of the Achaemenids kept many interesting finds, one of which is a red standard. Its perimeter was decorated with a border of triangles in green, white and red, and a golden eagle was depicted in the center. The standard is exhibited today in the country's National Historical Museum in Tehran, and for many hundreds of years red, white and green colors have symbolized well-being, purity and prosperity among the Iranian-speaking peoples living in the Pamirs.
