Southern Asia
Afghanistan
The current de facto national flag used by the Taliban government is a plain white field bearing the black shahada in Arabic script at the center. It replaced the previous black-red-green tricolour with state emblem after the Taliban takeover in 2021.
Adopted
2021
Proportion
2:3
Colours
2
Colours & their meaning
White
No official symbolism has been formally codified for the flag’s colour in a generally recognized legal source; under Taliban usage it is associated with purity and the movement’s historic banner.
Black
The inscription is the Islamic declaration of faith; no separate official colour symbolism is generally stated.
Symbols & emblems
Shahada
The Arabic inscription states the Islamic declaration of faith: ‘There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.’
Did you know?
Afghanistan has changed its national flag more often than almost any other country in the modern era.