Abkhazia is a small country with a pleasant climate and a fascinating history. During its existence, this state has repeatedly changed its official status. Changes concerned the main characters. What does the flag of Abkhazia look like today, and what was it like before?
Modern banner
The main state symbol used today has standard proportions of 1: 2. The main part of the flag of Abkhazia is occupied by transverse stripes, in total there are seven of them. They are painted in green and white with alternating through one. In the upper left corner of the canvas is a red rectangle, against the background of which an open palm and seven stars above it are depicted.
What does the flag of Abkhazia mean and how can such a complex picture be decoded? The white color of the stripes symbolizes the spirituality of the people and high morality, green depicts the natural wealth of the state - the sea and mountains. The white palm is a historical symbol, and the stars, elongated by an arc above it, characterize the seven main regions of Abkhazia. These are Sadzen (Dzhegetia), Bzyp, Gumaa, Abzhua, Samurzakan, Dal-Tsabal, Pskhuy-Aibga.
The modern flag of Abkhazia: meaning and history
An open white palm (one of the elements of the modern state symbol) is known for more than 12 centuries. The first official mention of this figure dates back to the thirteenth century. The symbol was depicted on nautical charts. Flags with such an image developed over the ancient city of Sebastopolis, today it is the capital of Abkhazia - Sukhum. This settlement begins its history in the IV century BC. under the ancient Greek name Dioscuria. Later, modern Sukhum was also called San Sebastian, it begins its modern history under the current name in 1724. What does the ancient scarlet flag with a white hand mean? The opinions of heraldry experts on this issue are somewhat different, but they are united in that the open hand symbolizes the disposition to establish business contacts with neighboring states, promises honesty and decency, perhaps - help neighboring nations.
Abkhazia: flag and coat of arms of the country
As in any other state, in addition to the national flag, a second significant symbol is registered in Abkhazia - the coat of arms. It is made in traditional colors for the country. It is white, green and gold (yellow).
The base of the coat of arms is an elongated shield rounded from the bottom, vertically it is divided into two equal halves. One part is painted white, the second is green. On top of the shield is a horseman with a bow flying on a horse, and three stars. This figure is executed in yellow, the same as the border of the shield. It is not difficult to decipher the image, it is an illustration of the national heroic epic. The horseman is Narta Sasrykva, who went with his horse Bzou to perform feats for the sake of saving his brothers. The big star represents the revival, and the small stars represent the union of eastern and western cultures.
1925 Constitution and Coat of Arms
Already in 1925, the Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia had its own symbol. On a red background, a yellow combination of a sickle and a hammer was depicted, which was typical for the period, the letters indicating the country — SSRA — went below, and a
five-pointed star was indicated by a contour above the main composition
. The flag was described in the constitution of 1925, the main drawing occupied a relatively small area of the total background size and was located in the upper left corner. The Third All-Abkhaz Congress of Soviets also approved the second main symbol of the state - the coat of arms. Like the flag of Abkhazia at that time, it had a decoration in the form of a sickle, a hammer and a star. The landscape of the country was used as a background, and the border was a bunch of cultivated plants. There were also inscriptions - "Soviet Socialist Republic Apsny" ("Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia") and "Aproletartsea ateylakua zegy rf ikou, shefeydyshekyl!" (
"Workers of all countries, unite!").
Flag of the SSRA from 1931 to 1992
During the existence of the
Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia, the flag changed six times. The state symbol acquired its modern form only in 1992 after the collapse of the USSR. In 1931, according to the updated version of the constitution, the word “Autonomous” was included in the name of the Republic. A golden star disappeared from the flag, and the name of the state instead of the abbreviation began to be written in full words. In 1935, the reduction was returned to the canvas, which is noteworthy - it looked like "ASSR". The flag of Abkhazia has become more solid - letters were now placed next to the sickle and hammer, the star shone again over the main drawing. Under Stalin, drawings disappeared from the state symbol, only the inscriptions “Georgian SSR” and “Abkhaz SSR” remained - each in Russian, Georgian and Abkhaz languages. Then there were
red-blue flags with and without letters, but with the same image of a sickle and a hammer in the sun. The last flag of Abkhazia as the Soviet Socialist Republic consisted of the name of the republic and the golden sun, made in contour technique. This version of the sign was approved in 1989 and was used until July 23, 1992, when a new drawing of the country's main banner was approved.