Five carpet patterns, known as guls, appear on the flag of Turkmenistan. They are stacked vertically inside the flag’s red stripe near the hoist, above crossed olive branches.
A gul is a characteristic motif used in Turkmen carpet-making, although the word can refer broadly to a carpet ornament rather than one universal design. The five motifs on the flag represent Turkmenistan’s five major tribes: Teke, Yomut, Saryk, Chowdur and Ersari. Their order on the flag follows the traditional top-to-bottom sequence.
The carpet panel makes Turkmenistan’s flag instantly recognisable and reflects the country’s famous weaving tradition. It is not the same as the five white stars elsewhere on the flag. Those stars are separate symbols, placed beside a white crescent on the green field.
Turkmenistan introduced the flag after becoming independent from the Soviet Union in 1992. The design was modified in 2001, when the proportions and some details changed, but the five-gul carpet panel remained its defining feature.