What symbol appears near the hoist on Turkey's national flag?

Turkey’s national flag displays a white star and crescent near the hoist on a red field. The crescent opens toward the flag’s fly, with the five-pointed star positioned just beyond it.

The design has roots in Ottoman symbolism. A star and crescent appeared on Ottoman flags by the late 18th or early 19th century, and the white emblem on red was introduced in 1844. When the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, it retained the Ottoman flag’s basic appearance.

The symbol is sometimes described as a moon and star, but the crescent is the defining feature rather than a complete circle. The flag’s nickname, Ay Yıldız, means “moon star” in Turkish, while Al Bayrak means “red flag.” Its measurements and colours were legally standardised in 1936, and the current Turkish Flag Law dates from 1983.