This Week In Vexillology #60

This Week In Vexillology, we're looking at the flag of the last ethnicities/cultures/people who don't have a state of their own (thanks in part to some colonial skullduggery and general oppression by a variety of difference countries over the decades) the Kurds and the flag of Kurdistan:

Adopted on December 17th, 1945 this flag actually has a name!  It's the Alaya Rengin, or 'The Colorful Flag.'   The red in the flag symbolizes the blood of the martyrs of Kurdistan and the continued struggle for the freedom and dignity of Kurdistan and its people.  Green represents the beauty and landscapes of the country, white is for peace and equality while yellow represents the source and life and light of the people.

The sun itself gets interesting:  it's an ancient symbol of Zoroastrianism and has 21 rays of equal size and shape- the number 21 holds importance in the ancient Ezidi religious tradition of the Kurds.  (Click on the links if you want more info on either religion-  personally, I find Zoroastrianism fascinating...  one of these days I'll have to sit down and learn more about it.)  The flag is also banned in Turkey, Iran and Syria.

So, what's the deal with the Kurds?  Why isn't there an independent Kurdistan and more to the point, where is it?  Well, it's here:

You begin to see why the flag is banned in Turkey, Iran and Syria don't you?  Iraqi Kurds won a lot of autonomy after the fall of Saddam and even before that, protected by the no-fly zone, they enjoyed a lot more freedom than Kurds do in other countries. After World War I, when the Ottoman Empire disintegrated there was a moment where the Kurds seemed to be on the verge of gaining independence-  the Treaty of Sevres dividing up what is now modern day Turkey called for a referendum on the future of a Kurdistan region but that was never implemented and was ultimately done away with in the Treaty of Lausanne- basically, the Colonial powers at the time couldn't come through for the Kurds.   The Turks rallied behind Ataturk against the loss of so much of their territory, expelled the Ottoman Sultan and destroyed the Greeks (who were occupying areas around Smyrna at the time) and rejected Sevres and forced a renegotiation.  Kurdish aspirations were shoved aside to recognize the Republic of Turkey as the successor state to the dissolved Ottoman Empire.

(That might be a totally crappy version of the history that actually took place, but it's the best paragraph summary I could muster! The actual history is complex, crazy and time-consuming and if you don't believe me, check out the tale of the island of Ada Kaleh.)

In the meantime, put your hands together for Kurdistan!  And remember until next week, keep your flags flying- FREAK or otherwise!