Star and crescent (symbol)

The star and crescent is a symbol consisting of a star with a crescent at the concave side. In its modern form, the star is usually shown with five points (though in earlier centuries a higher number of points was often used). The two signs together, or the crescent only, was long a symbol of Byzantium and also appeared on coins of the Sassanid Empire. In Turkish, the crescent is called Hilal, which is an anagram of “Allah” in Arabic script, reinforcing its Islamic symbolism. Now, the crescent is often a symbol of Islam. It is seen on a number of different country flags such as Turkey, Libya, Maldives, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, Western Sahara, Comoros, North Cyprus, Mauritania, and Pakistan respectively.

Ancient design of the star and crescent symbol as used in Byzantium in the 1st century BC.

The flag of Turkey features a white star and crescent.

Flag of Ottoman Empire was the first flag featuring a star and a crescent. The Ottomans used this symbol in part because the Turkish word for crescent (''Hilal'') is an anagram of “Allah” in Arabic script. Other states formerly part of the Ottoman Empire also used the symbol, so the symbol emerged into popular use.

See also

• Star of David