Lion and Sun flag

This article is about the historical and opposition flag of Iran. For the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the wider history of Iranian flags, see Flag of Iran. For the emblem itself, see Lion and Sun.

Iran
Lion and Sun flag[a]
UseNational flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag
Proportion4:7[1]
Adopted7 October 1907 (1907-10-07)
Relinquished29 July 1980 (1980-07-29)
DesignA horizontal tricolour of green, white, and red with the golden Lion and Sun symbol centred on the white band.[b]
Former standardised design in use during the late Pahlavi era
Adoptedc.1973

The Lion and Sun flag[a] is a historic Iranian national flag consisting of a green-white-red horizontal tricolour charged with the Lion and Sun emblem. It served as the state flag of Iran from 1907 until the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after which it was strictly banned.[2] Since then, the flag has had no official status but continues to be used as a historical and political symbol, particularly among the Iranian diaspora and opposition movements.[3]

Flag description

Lion and Sun emblem

The emblem consists of a male lion in front of a rising sun, coloured in gold and centred on the white band. Its appearance has varied across over time. In some versions, the lion holds a sword, while in others it stands unarmed, with all four paws on the ground. The sun is nowadays depicted as a simple disc with rays, though earlier designs often included a face. Some versions include a thin horizontal base beneath the lion. A crown was sometimes displayed above the emblem on the national flag, while the war flag and naval ensign additionally featured a surrounding wreath, without the crown after 1979.

In the standard modern design, the lion stands on a base holding a sword, the sun has no facial features, and no crown is present. The base rests directly atop the red stripe, leaving no gap beneath it.[1]

Colour scheme

As no official colour specifications were published for the flag, the following values represent approximations derived from a modern digital reconstruction of the historical flag.[1] Historically, flagmakers used varying shades of green, white, red, and yellow/gold.

Green White Red Gold
RGB 35/159/64 255/255/255 218/0/0 255/187/38
Hexadecimal #239F40 #FFFFFF #DA0000 #FFBB26
CMYK 78/0/60/37 0/0/0/0 0/100/100/15 0/27/85/0
Pantone 7739 C White 485 C 1235 C

History

Main articles: Flag of Iran § Post-Constitutional Revolution, and Lion and Sun § History

Pre-Islamic origins

The earliest evidence of the Lion and Sun symbol in Iran dates back thousands of years, even predating the Achaemenid era.[4]

The earliest representations of the Lion and Sun, a lapis lazuli seal from the Jiroft civilisation (c. 3rd millennium BC).

During the Achaemenid period, the Lion and Sun motif appeared in several forms.[5][6] One example is a seal depicting Artaxerxes II accompanied by a lion, the sun symbolising Mithra, and a woman riding a lion representing Anahita.[7]

Another example is a coin issued by the Persian satrap of Cilicia, Mazaeus, which depicts a lion and sun motif.[8]

Silver coin of Mazaeus, satrap of Cilicia, minted in Myriandrus, c. 361–333 BC.

Qajar era

The Lion and Sun emblem also appeared in the 12th century, though it only became a national symbol during the Qajar era. Its first appearance on a flag is thought to be on an early green-white-red tricolour, featuring thin green and red stripes, designed by Amir Kabir and in use from 1848 to 1852. The first equal-height stripe designs are said to have appeared by the late 1880s. These accounts are poorly documented and may be entirely unfounded, and they are far less certain than the flag officially adopted in 1907.[9]

Late Qajar and Pahlavi era

Illustration of a historic meeting between Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Reza Shah in 1934, with the contemporary Iranian flag
Numerous Lion and Sun flags hoisted at Pasargadae during the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire, 1971

The first official version of the Lion and Sun flag was adopted in the wake of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1906[2] and codified in the Supplementary Fundamental Laws of 7 October 1907 as the state flag of the country. The new banner was described as a tricolour of "green, white, and red, with the emblem of the Lion and the Sun."[10] On 4 September 1910, a decree specified the exact details of the emblem, including the size and position of the lion, and the shape of its tail, sword, and sun.[11] During this period, the colours of the flag were very pale, with the red appearing closer to pink in practice.

Following Reza Shah's coup d'état and through the Pahlavi era, the flag underwent several gradual changes. In 1933, the colours of the flag were darkened, and the sun was stripped of its facial features. In 1964, the flag's proportions were altered from 1:3 to 4:7. In 1973, the government introduced a new flag using a standardised design for the Lion and Sun emblem, though it is not clear if it replaced all pre-existing designs, as the style of the emblem continued to vary depending on the manufacturer.

Although the Lion and Sun tricolour served as the official state flag, the plain green-white-red tricolour remained widely used in civilian contexts. Both versions coexisted, with the emblem-bearing flag primarily associated with the state and diplomatic use.[12]

Post-Islamic revolution

Following the overthrow of the monarchy in 1979 at the onset of the Iranian Revolution, the interim government began phasing out the Lion and Sun in favour of the plain tricolour. However, after the Islamic takeover in 1980, the new government outlawed the use of the old flag entirely, justifying the restrictions by claiming that the banner was a symbol of the "oppressive Westernising monarchy," despite the emblem's traditional Shia usage.[13][14] In 1980, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini demanded the "ominous" Lion and Sun be removed from all government offices as an "artefact of the tyrannical regime".[15][16]

Recently, some Islamic Republic officials have changed course and attempted to deceitfully claim the Lion and Sun as a symbol of Islam in an effort to undermine the ongoing 2025–2026 Iranian protests.[17] However, the Lion and Sun motif has been in display during the Achaemenid Empire.[5][6] During the protests in Iran as well as the diaspora protests, the Lion and Sun flag was extensively displayed.[14]

  • Design evolution over time
  • Supposed tricolour designed by Amir Kabir between 1848 and 1852, modern reconstruction[9]
    Supposed tricolour designed by Amir Kabir between 1848 and 1852, modern reconstruction[9]
  • Supposed equal-stripe tricolour reported in 1886, modern reconstruction[9]
    Supposed equal-stripe tricolour reported in 1886, modern reconstruction[9]
  • State flag of Persia (1907–1933), modern reconstruction[citation needed]
    State flag of Persia (1907–1933), modern reconstruction
  • State flag of Iran (1933–1964), modern reconstruction[citation needed]
    State flag of Iran (1933–1964), modern reconstruction
  • Historical version using the standardised Lion and Sun emblem (1973–1980)[citation needed]
    Historical version using the standardised Lion and Sun emblem (1973–1980)
  • Modern version used from 2012 onwards
    Modern version used from 2012 onwards

Modern representations

Since its relinquishment, there has been no official government-issued standard defining the modern appearance of the Lion and Sun flag. As a result, modern reproductions of the banner vary in details, including colour shades, proportions, the presence or absence of the crown, and especially the rendering of the Lion and Sun emblem.[c]

Contemporary use

Historically, since the Islamic Revolution, the Lion and Sun flag has been associated with monarchist movements, while some republican and reformist groups preferred the plain tricolour. Over time, the Lion and Sun banner has been adopted more broadly as a symbol of Iranian national identity and opposition to the Islamic Republic rather than exclusively symbolising the pre-1979 monarchy.[3]

Public opinion data suggests the banner's growing recognition and popularity within the country. In a February 2022 survey conducted by GAMAAN in Iran, prior to the outbreak of the Mahsa Amini protests, 46% of respondents chose the Lion and Sun flag as their preferred national flag, compared with 30% who chose the current official flag, and 19% who preferred the plain tricolour without symbols.[18]

Protestor tears down the Islamic Republic flag at its embassy in London and holds up the Lion and Sun flag, 10 January 2026

Use in protests

The flag is regularly seen at international rallies across North America and Europe, where members of the Iranian diaspora wave it to show solidarity with protest movements in Iran.[19] It has been particularly prominent during demonstrations in major Western cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, Toronto, and Los Angeles.

2025–2026 protests

Domestically, the Lion and Sun flag re-emerged during the 2025–2026 protests in Iran, with demonstrators publicly waving the flag[20][21] and, in some cases, tearing down and burning official Islamic Republic flags.[22]

In solidarity with the uprising in Iran, protesters tore down the Islamic flag at the Islamic Republic's embassy in London and replaced it with the Lion and Sun flag.[23] The flag was also raised at the Islamic Republic consulate in Munich during the diaspora protests.[24] The Lion and Sun flag has been seen as a symbol of secularism and freedom, in defiance of the theocratic rule.[25][26]

Flag emoji

On 9 January 2026, the Twemoji emoji library changed the Iran flag emoji from the Islamic Republic flag to the modern design of the Lion and Sun flag.[27] As a result, the Lion and Sun flag now appears on most web and iPhone clients when browsing X (formerly Twitter). Some Islamic Republic officials, including Ali Khamenei, removed the flag from their Twitter profiles prior to the change taking effect after the original announcement,[28] though many did not do so in time, resulting in widely shared screenshots of officials' names next to the Lion and Sun flag.

Proposals to implement a similar change in the Google Noto emoji library are currently under discussion.[29]

  • Alternate designs
  • Modern design with the crown and without the base
    Modern design with the crown and without the base
  • Modern reconstruction of the naval war flag used 1933–1979
    Modern reconstruction of the naval war flag used 1933–1979
  • Flag without the base and sword, and with a face on the sun
    Flag without the base and sword, and with a face on the sun
  • Traditional digital design; see Traditional design section
    Traditional digital design; see Traditional design section
  • Traditional digital design for the naval war flag
    Traditional digital design for the naval war flag
  • Alternate version of the 1973 standardised flag
    Alternate version of the 1973 standardised flag
  • Traditional variant of the Lion and Sun flag
    Traditional variant of the Lion and Sun flag
  • Naval war flag version of the preceding variant
    Naval war flag version of the preceding variant
  • Another traditional rendition of the flag
    Another traditional rendition of the flag
  • Graphic Interchange Format (GIF)
  • Waving Lion and Sun flag (Sodacan's design)
    Waving Lion and Sun flag (Sodacan's design)
  • Waving Lion and Sun flag
    Waving Lion and Sun flag

See also

Other opposition flags

Notes

  1. ^ a b Persian: پرچم شیر و خورشید, romanised: parcham-e shir o khorshid
  2. ^ The design above was created in 2012 and is not official, though it is the most widely used design among members of the Iranian opposition and diaspora.

References

  1. ^ a b c Sodacan (18 November 2012), Modern vector version of the Iranian Lion and Sun flag, Wikimedia Commons, retrieved 2 January 2026
  2. ^ a b Smith, Whitney. "Flag of Iran". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b McKeever, Amy (29 November 2022). "Why Iran's flag is at the center of controversy at the World Cup". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 5 September 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  4. ^ "The Lion and Sun Motif of Iran: A brief Analysis". Dr. Kaveh Farrokh. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.
  5. ^ a b https://ghorbany.com/inspiration/the-lion-and-sun
  6. ^ a b https://www.bmitpglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/The-Iranian-Lion-and-Sun-a-symbol-of-identity-and-eternity-FULL.pdf
  7. ^ Kaveh Farrokh. "The Lion and Sun Motif of Iran: A Brief Analysis".
  8. ^ Coin of Mazaeus (image)
  9. ^ a b c Farrokh, Kaveh (13 July 2013). "Lion & Sun Emblem of Iran, a Pictorial Historical Analysis - Part 3". Iran Politics Club. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  10. ^ Browne, Edward G. (1910) [7 October 1907]. "4. The Supplementary Fundamental Laws of October 7, 1907". The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909/Appendix A: The Bases of the Persian Constitution. Cambridge University Press. p. 373 – via Wikisource. Art. 5. The official colours of the Persian flag are green, white and red, with the emblem of the Lion and the Sun.
  11. ^ Najmabadi, Afsaneh (2005), Women with Mustaches and Men without Beards: Gender and Sexual Anxieties of Iranian Modernity, University of California Press, pp. 86–88, ISBN 0-520-24262-9
  12. ^ Azadi Stadium Exterior view from the west side — 1974 Asian Games, Wikimedia Commons, 1974, retrieved 3 January 2026
  13. ^ Babayan, Kathryn (2002), Mystics, Monarchs, and Messiahs: Cultural Landscapes of Early Modern Iran, Harvard College, p. 491, ISBN 0-932885-28-4
  14. ^ a b https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601134082
  15. ^ https://amwaj.media/en/media-monitor/will-the-iranian-state-move-to-reclaim-the-lion-and-sun-emblemnew
  16. ^ https://www.aparat.com/v/tbpxx45
  17. ^ Parsa, Mani (10 February 2026). "Iranian Regime Seeks To Reclaim Lion And Sun Symbol Embraced By Protesters". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 11 February 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ Maleki, Ammar (March 2022). "IRANIANS' ATTITUDES TOWARD POLITICAL SYSTEMS: A 2022 SURVEY REPORT" (PDF). The Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in IRAN (GAMAAN). p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  19. ^ Vaux-Montagny, Nicolas (8 January 2023). "Marches in Europe support Iran protests, assail government". AP News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Iran's pre-revolution flag displayed in Tehran protests". Iran International. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Video shows monarchist flag displayed during Ramsar protest". Iran International. 4 January 2026. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Protesters pull down Islamic Republic flag in Tehran". Iran International. 3 January 2026. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  23. ^ Sawer, Patrick; Williams, Eric (10 January 2026). "Protester tears down Iranian regime flag from London embassy". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  24. ^ "Lion and Sun flag raised at Iranian consulate in Munich". Iran International. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Old National Flag with Lion and Sun Emerges as Symbol of Resistance". 13 January 2026.
  26. ^ "Iranian Regime Seeks To Reclaim Lion And Sun Symbol Embraced By Protesters". 10 February 2026.
  27. ^ "X changes Iran flag emoji to lion and sun symbol in support for protests". Iran International. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  28. ^ Bier, Nikita (9 January 2026). "Announcement of emoji flag change". Twitter. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  29. ^ "Updates the Iran flag emoji (🇮🇷) to the Lion and Sun flag. #530". Github. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
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