Flag History of Afghanistan

Afghanistan holds the world record of changes to its national flag, reflecting the turbulent history of the country. A crossroads between East and West, it has seen many invaders and conquerors, while local rulers also invaded surrounding lands to form their empires. Ahmad Khan (c. 1723-1773), born in Herat, initially served the Persian ruler Nader Shah, but after Nader’s assassination, Ahmad was proclaimed leader of his Abdali clan as Ahmad Shah Durrani in 1747. His Durrani Empire, centred around Kandahar, is considered the beginning of modern Afghanistan. It has had a large number of National flags since 1880, after Emir Abdur Rahman united the country after the second Anglo-Aghan war of 1878-80.