The star on Azerbaijan’s flag has eight points. It appears in white beside a crescent in the centre of the flag’s red stripe, between the blue and green horizontal bands.
The modern tricolour was first adopted by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, inspired partly by Ottoman flag traditions. Azerbaijan restored the design after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The colours are commonly associated with Turkic identity, modernisation and Islam.
The eight-pointed shape is sometimes explained as representing the eight letters of “Azerbaijan” in Arabic script. Another interpretation connects the points with eight Turkic peoples identified in earlier nationalist thought. These explanations are often repeated, but the flag’s official description primarily specifies the star’s design rather than requiring one symbolic interpretation.
A common mix-up is confusing Azerbaijan’s star with the five-pointed star used on many other national flags, including the modern Turkish flag. Azerbaijan’s flag also has a 1:2 proportion, making it notably longer than many rectangular flags.