Tunisia Celebrates the 198th Anniversary of its National Flag
Today, Monday, October 20, 2025, Tunisia is celebrating the 198th anniversary of its national flag, which was created in 1827. Every year, Tunisians celebrate this anniversary at both the official and popular levels, through the organization of parades and events, the publication of photos of the Tunisian flag on social media, and the highlighting of the history of its creation.
Yesterday, Sunday, several citizens participated in a demonstration on Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the capital, organized by the "Tourathna" (Our Heritage) association to mark this anniversary. They waved Tunisian flags, reacting to the different segments of animation of the demonstration that the association is used to organizing every year under the slogan "Kharjet el A'lam" (The Exit of the Flag), with the participation of organizations and associations such as the "Tunisian Scouts" and the Tunisian Red Crescent.
The demonstration began in front of the Municipal Theater of the capital and ended at the Ibn Khaldoun statue, with the participation of majorettes from Ksar Hellal, and was punctuated by drawing workshops for children, an exhibition of plastic arts, and a choir performance in front of the Municipal Theater.
Characteristics of the Flag of the Republic of Tunisia
The flag is red in color, with a white disk in its center, bearing a five-pointed star surrounded by a red crescent, as specified in the Tunisian Constitution. The Tunisian flag retained these characteristics during the period of French colonialism.
Sultan Hussein Bey II ordered the creation of a distinctive flag for the Tunisian navy on October 20, 1827, after the Battle of Navarin, in order to distinguish it from other flags, before its official adoption in 1831. Since then, it has remained "a symbol of national unity, resistance, and aspiration for freedom."
On June 1, 1959, it was proclaimed the state flag of the Republic of Tunisia, in accordance with the country's constitution at the time. Then, on June 30, 1999, its dimensions and design were specified with precision by a special law (Law No. 99/56 of June 30, 1999, adopted on July 3 of the same year by the Chamber of Deputies). The general appearance of the flag has remained unchanged to this day.
This law stipulates that the flag must be rectangular in shape and red in color, and its width must be equal to two-thirds of its length. In the middle of the flag is a white circle whose diameter is equal to one-third of the length of the rectangle, and its center is the point of intersection of the diagonals of the rectangle. Inside the circle is a red five-pointed star, whose center is on the vertical axis, to the right of the center of the circle, at a distance equal to one-thirtieth of the length of the flag in the direction opposite the side fixed to the mast.
According to the same law, above the flag intended for the President of the Republic, the expression "For the Homeland" is inscribed in gold letters. It is fixed to a lance with a golden tip, on which the circle, star, and crescent are engraved, and a ribbon bearing a flag is attached to it.
