Star and Crescent - Use in The Ottoman Empire

Use in The Ottoman Empire

Further information: Ottoman flag and Flag_of_Turkey#History

The star and the moon are two sky elements symbolizing the Tengriist beliefs of the sky-worshiping ancient Turks. In Turkic Mythology four colors are associated with four cardinal directions such as "gök-blue" (east), "ak-white" (west), "al-red" (south) and "kara-black" (north). These colors represent the direction towards the zenith where the Tengri is residing in the sky. Red and white colors on the flag of Turkey symbolize the south-western branch of Turks called Oghuzes who are the founders of present-day Turkey as well as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Gagauzia. Black Sea and Turkish/Qırımtatar names of Mediterranean (Akdeniz) got their name from the same mythology; Karadeniz being in the north and Akdeniz being in the west respectively. Turkestan's flag is similar to Turkey's, with only difference being blue.

It has been suggested that the star-and-crescent had been adopted from the Byzantines. Franz Babinger (1992) suggests this possibility, noting that the crescent alone has a much older tradition also with Turkic tribes in the interior of Asia. Parsons (2007) considers this unlikely, as the star and crescent was not a widespread motive in Byzantium at the time of the Ottoman conquest.

Turkish historians tend to stress the antiquity of the crescent (not star-and-crescent) symbol among the early Turkic states in Asia. In Turkish tradition, there is an Ottoman legend of a dream of the eponymous founder of the Ottoman house, Osman I, in which he is reported to have seen a moon rising from the breast of a Muslim judge whose daughter he sought to marry. "When full, it descended into his own breast. Then from his loins there sprang a tree, which as it grew came to cover the whole world with the shadow of its green and beautiful branches." Beneath it Osman saw the world spread out before him, surmounted by the crescent.

• the fictional "coat of arms of Illyria" in the Fojnica Armorial, compiled in Bosnia in the 17th century, at the time an Ottoman province.

• Ottoman Naval Flag, flying on all military vessels 1793-1844

• The late Ottoman Navy flag with an eight-pointed star and crescent was used between 1793 and 1844

• The last flag of the Ottoman Empire from 1844 to 1923 was adopted with the Tanzimat reforms as the first official Ottoman national flag