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Tunisia

Tunisie

2:3, by Zeljko Heimer

The national flag was adopted in 1835 and legislated in Constitution on June 1st 1959.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 Nov 1999

The current version of the flag was adopted on 3 July 1999.
J.J. Anderson, 29 July 2002

Symbolism and development of the flag
Pre-1999 flag
Earlier representations
Tunisian Coat of Arms

See also:

Symbolism and development of the Flag

The white disc in the middle represents the sun and containing a red Osmanli (Turkish) crescent and a five-pointed star - the two ancient symbols of Islam. The shape of the waxing moon (from the point of view of an Arab observer of the flag) brings luck. Red became a symbol of resistance against Turkish supremacy <sic> (Source: Webster's Concise Encyclopedia of Flags & Coats of Arms, Crampton, 1985)
Jarig Bakker, 21 July 1999

Quite true, but the Tunisians themselves seem to overlook the Turkish origin of their flag, or at least to be undisturbed by it. In the Military Museum outside Tunis there is a display showing the similarity between the current flag and that used by the Beylical government in the 19th century. The tone of the display is pride in the continuity of national identity. I suspect that during the extended period of French colonial domination, Tunisians looked back at the crescent and star on a white circle as the emblem of national sovereignty, since it had been the flag under which their last independent government had ruled. It was therefore natural for them to retain/return to