Turkmenistan’s national flag includes a vertical carpet-pattern band beside five stars and a crescent.
The flag has a green field with a red vertical band near the hoist. The band contains five traditional carpet guls, or medallion designs, along with olive branches. A white crescent and five five-pointed stars appear in the green field.
The five carpet patterns represent the country’s major tribal groups: Teke, Yomut, Arsary, Chowdur and Saryk. The five stars correspond to the five regions, or welayats, of Turkmenistan. The crescent is a traditional symbol of Islam and is also associated with hope and a bright future.
Turkmenistan adopted the design in 1992 after independence, with later modifications. Its flag is often mistaken for other green Islamic flags, but the detailed carpet band is its defining feature and makes it especially distinctive among national flags.