Last modified: 2024-07-13 by victor lomantsov
Keywords: kazakhstan | eagle | sun | national ornamentation |
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by António Martins-Tuvalkin , Antonio Gutiérrez; colors Zoltan Horvath
Proportions: 1:2
Flag adopted1992-JUNE-4, coat of arms adopted 1992-JUNE-4
Full name: Republic of Kazakhstan
Location: Central Asia
Status: Internationally recognized independent state since 16 December 1991. Member of the United Nations and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Notes: The region we now know as Central Asia was conquered by Russia in, for the most part, the period between 1730 and 1850. After the Bolshevik revolution, the Kirghiz ASSR (not to be confused with what is now Kyrgyzstan) was set up. This changed its name to the Kazakh ASSR in 1924 and became a full Union Republic in 1936.
According to Pierre Lux-Wurm, the word "Kazak" appeared in the Turkish
language and in Russian documents around the XIVth century. Its original
meaning was "independent, tramp" and it was used to designate the
nomadic peoples from Central Asia. The history of the Kazaks before the
XVIIIth century is less-known due to the lack of local written sources.
The Kazak tradition says that their common ancestor divided them into
three hordes ("jouz"), the Greater Hord (Oulog Jouz), the Middle Horde
(Orta Jouz) and the Lesser Horde (Kichi Jouz). The names of the hordes
were not related to their size but to the relative age of the three sons
of the ancestor, the elder, the second, and the younger.
In 1602, the Kalmuks led by Khan Urluk and the Djungar Mongols devasted
the steppes. The Kazaks call this era "aktaban choubroundi" (the big disaster).
The Djungars came back in 1710 and 1713 and seized between 1722 and 1727
most of the lands of the Greater and Middle Hordes. The Lesser Horde
called for the Russian protection, which was acknowledged in 1734.
Following a revolt in 1860, Kazakstan became a colony, officialy
regulated in 1868 and considered as a "zone of agricultural colonization".
Ivan Sache, 30 May 2003
Kazakhstan Flag was firstly adopted by Law "bout State Flag of the Republic of Kazakstan" 4 July 1992.
Article 3.
State Flag of the Republic of Kazakstan is a rectangular piece of cloth of sky-blue colour bearing in its centre a sun with rays, with a soaring eagle undeneath. Images of the sun, rays and the eagle are of golden colour.
At the left part ot the cloth is a vertical band of national ornament.
This Law was officially published in the newspaper 'The Kazakhstan truth' #130-131.
The author of this flag - Shaken Nijazbekov.
On July, 1992 the color of ornament was changed from red to golden and the alterations were made in the text of the Law.
Mikhail Revnivtsev, 30 December 2002
The law-effective Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 24.01.1996 has established the following national symbols:
The national flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a a piece of right-angled cloth of sky-blue colour with a picture of a golden sun with its 32 rays in the centre, under them - a soaring steppe eagle. Flagstaff has vertical line with national ornament.The picture of sun, its rays, eagle and ornament are of golden colour. Width/length ratio of the flag is 1:2.
The national emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a picture of a shanyrak ( the cupola of a yurta) on a blue background, from which uyks (body bracket) like sun rays are being radiated in framing of wings of mythical horses. At the bottom of the emblem there is an inscription "Kazakhstan". In colour picture the National Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan are of two colours: golden and blue-and-sky-blue.
submitted by Dov Gutterman, 12 March 1999Article 4.
National Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a rectangular piece of cloth of sky-blue colour bearing (in its centre) a design of the sun with rays, with a soaring eagle undeneath. All along the flagstaff there runs a vertical band of national ornament. Images of the sun, its rays, the eagle and the ornament are of golden colour. Width/length ratio of the flag is 1: 2.
National Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan and its design, whatever their size, must strictly conform with the colour and schematic designs of the reference standard of the National Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan kept at the Residence of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
New Constitutional Law on State Symbols of the Republic of Kazakhstan No258 was adopted at 4 July 2007
and published in on 5 June 2007 in official "Kazakhstan pravda" bulletin. The description of the Flag was not changed.
Victor Lomantsov, 12 January 2012
by Brian Ellis (colours for textile)
by Brian Ellis (colours for non-textile)
During my usual searching of all things flag- and heraldry-related, I stumbled
across a PDF dating from 2007 (see http://www.geraldika.kz/images/doc/988-2007.rar) containing what appears to be newer schematics for
the national flag of Kazakhstan.
The first half is in Kazakh and the
second half is in Russian.
The document also give Pantone color
specifications:
3125U for blue (for textile),
102U for the yellow (for textile),
3125U or 3125C for blue (for non-textile),
810U or 810C for a buff-type color (for non-textile).
102 Yellow is used for the actual flag and that 810 Buff is used when the flag appears as a graphic element.
Below I'll also give a color breakdown into CMYK, RGB and Web-safe for those who may be interested.
Pantone color | RGB | CMYK | Hexadecimal representations of RGB |
3125U | R0 G181 B204 | C83 M0 Y21 K0 | #00B5CC |
102U | R255 G242 B3 | C0 M0 Y95 K0 | #FFF203 |
810U or C | R255 G227 B173 | C0 M10 Y35 K0 | #FFE3AD |
Brian Ellis, 23 April 2009
Section 3.2.18.2 gives a separate colour specification. I hope a
proper translation will confirm that this specification is for items
containing images of the flag and is a preliminary specification until
a catalog of models of colours for the symbols
of state is established by a commision into the symbols of state. In
any case, the colours are given in terms of the Pantone Formula Guide
for glossy paper and dull paper - blue 3125C or 3125U respectively and
yellow 810C or 810U respectively.
Jonathan Dixon, 23 April 2009
The full name of this document is:
STATE STANDARD OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN. ST-RK 988-2007. "THE STATE FLAG OF THE THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN. General technical conditions".
The Standard adopted by the Head of Committee on technical regulation and metrology
Order No 578 from 19.10.2007.
translated by Victor Lomantsov, 30 December 2009
Sources for colors:
prepared by Zoltan Horvath, 25 June 2024
SOURCE |
BLUE |
YELLOW |
Pantone 3125U (for textile),
|
Pantone 102U (for textile),
|
|
The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 published by Beijing Organizing Committee for Games of the XXIX Olympiad |
Pantone PMS 2995C (blue) |
Pantone PMS1205C (yellow) |
Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives / National flags and distinctive markings. 2000 (8th ed.) (Corr. No. 5.) [pay00]. Approximate colors |
Blue:
|
Pantone Yellow C
|
Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12] |
Pantone PMS 3125 |
Pantone PMS Process Yellow |
Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives. 2023 |
Blue (dark):
|
Pantone Yellow C
|
Pantone PMS 3125U (blue) |
Pantone PMS 102U (yellow) |
|
Pantone 3125U
|
Pantone 102U
|
|
Pantone 3125
|
Pantone Process Yellow
|
The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 ) provides recommendations for national
flag designs. Each NOC was sent an image of the flag, including the PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm
version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the NOC believed
the flag to be.
for Kazakhstan: PMS 3125 blue, process yellow. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise
Ian Sumner, 11 October 2012
Here's http://www.religio.ru/news/11720_photo_1133537617.html a nice
photo of the flag of Kazakhstan flying in strong wind.
Note the curious finial.
António Martins, 4 December 2005
I've found what seems to be the project of "technical specifications" for the construction of the Kazakh flag. The site is entirely in Russian. The most interesting pages are as follows:
The starting page shows the text of the Law about State symbols of 24 January 1996 and also links to two other "specifications" devoted to the
State coat of arms, also with construction diagrams at http://www.geraldika.kz/gost.htm.
Antonio Gutiérrez, 13 December 2005
Kazakhstan's post independence flag is light blue, symbolizing the blue skies of the country and its hopes for the future. On this field is a stylized eagle beneath a golden sun. At the hoist is a complex pattern called a 'national ornamentation' - also in gold. ('National ornamentations' also appear on the flags of Turkmenistan and on the Soviet-style Belarusian flag, which has recently been re-introduced.)
Stuart Notholt, 26 September 1995
"Vlaggen van de wereld" mentions that on the flag of Kazakhstan the sun symbolizes energy and warmth, and that the eagle stands for freedom.
This description of the flag from About Kazakhstan, at http://aboutkazakhstan.com, does mention the words "energy" and "freedom", but words the meaning quite
differently:
Main element of Kazakhstan flag is its color. The light blue color is a
symbol of sky and water. The pure light blue color also symbolizes
cultural and ethnic unity of Kazakhstan people and the indivisibility of
Kazakhstan country.
The sun is the source of life and energy. That’s why the silhouette of
the sun symbolizes life. Human being is not eternal and human life is
measured in some way by time. Nomads - the ancestors of Kazakhstan
people - used the sun’s movements to measure the time. The sun is also a
symbol of wealth and abundance.
If you look at Kazakhstan flag a little closer you will see that the
sun’s rays are like grain. And the grain is the basis of abundance and
prosperity. The total number of rays is 32.
Among the nomad people the golden eagle plays very important role.
People of different Kazakhstan tribes had the golden eagle on their
flags for centuries.
The eagle symbolizes the power of the state and astuteness. For
Kazakhstan people as for people of the steppe the eagle is a symbol of
independence, freedom and flight to future. Also the eagle is strong
enough to repulse anyone who is preventing this flight to future. The
eagle symbolizes the attempt of young Kazakhstan state to become the
important part of world civilization.
The line placed in parallel with Kazakhstan flag staff consists of
national ornamental pattern. It is Kazakhstan national ornamental
pattern “koshkar-muiz” - horns of the ram.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 23 December 2011
by António Martins-Tuvalkin and Antonio Gutiérrez
First flag of Republic of Kazakhstan adopted by Law of
June 4, 1992 had red national ornament.
This Law was officially published in the newspaper 'The
Kazakhstan truth' #130-131.
The author of this flag - Shaken Nijazbekov.
On July, 1992 the color of ornament was changed to golden and the
alterations were made in the text of the Law.
Mikhail Revnivtsev, 30 December 2002
I'm still very dubious about the actual existence of the flag quoted
as "First variant of the Kazakhstan flag (1992)". AFAIK,
there is no such evidence than the reports of these years quoted in the
vex-bulletins and copied to each others. No need to remember you, I guess,
the main source of these reports. At last almost all of them proved to be
imaginary.
The copy of the original Law I own, dated 4 June 1992, Law No. 1372-XII,
does mention already the ornament to be yellow, and is not known (at least
by me, if anyone knows, please share it with us) another Law, neither before
nor after this, prescribing the ornament in red or changing it from red to
yellow.
My guess is that the flag with the red ornament was a proposal, among
others, and at the time of the flag to be selected and the Law officially
published, the flag with the yellow ornament was chosen, instead of the one
with red ornament.
Antonio Gutiérrez, 11 February 2007
It is 25 years ago that the current Kazakhstan was adopted. See here which designs didn’t make it:
http://e-history.kz/en/publications/view/3250
"Vexillographia" web-site
Jos Poels, 13 August 2017