deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south,Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empires, the land has witnessed numerous military campaigns, including those by the Persians, Alexander the Great, the Maurya Empire, Arab Muslims, the Mongols, the British, the Soviet Union, and a US-led coalition.

War has ravaged the country for well over 50 years. Both the Soviet Union and The United States after years of frustration and no result, pretty much simply walked away. The US attempted to remove and then keep out the horrific Taliban regime. It did not go well.

The flag of Afghanistan has kept some basic elements since 1928, with changes coming at the direction of whomever the current leader is. The Taliban regime has come back into power but the majority of the world and the United Nations recognizes one flag, not the Taliban version.

The tricolor was supposedly inspired by the Afghan KingAmanullah Khan when visiting Europe with his wife in 1928. The original horizontal tricolor design was based on that of the Weimar Republic-era flag of Germany.

Ask any non-Taliban Afghan and they can tell you the symbolism of the modern, currently recognized non-Taliban flag.

The black color represents its troubled 19th century history as a protected state, the red color represents the blood of those who fought for independence (specifically, the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919), and the green represents hope and prosperity for the future. Some have alternatively interpreted the black to represent history, the red to represent progress, and the green to represent either agricultural prosperity or Islam.

The current flag shifted the tricolor bands horizontally and stylized the National Emblem.

The question now is, why would I include this flag in my collection? I recently had the experience of having a young person from Afghanistan explain to me the significance of the flag and why I needed to have it.

Two years ago I met and became friends with immigrants from Afghanistan. Through Google Translate we communicated Dari to English.

The US government opened windows for people from Afghanistan to come to America to seek asylum. The Taliban had taken control of the country and young men were in grave danger. Women were treated so poorly they had no chance of seeking any employment or education. It was a dangerous situation for everyone.

Less than 3% of individuals seeking asylum are granted the status. We rejoice our friend has won her permission to stay. Immigrants make our country a better place.

Diolch am eich cefnogaeth (Welsh)

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