Kyrgyzstan is a country located in the mountainous region of Central Asia and considered to be one of the six Turkic nations that is independent. The other Turkic states are Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The country is bounded to the east by China, to the north by Kazakhstan, and to the southwest by Tajikistan. The capital of Kyrgyzstan is Bishkek. It is also the largest city in the state. Kyrgyzstan is officially called the Kyrgyz Republic. The word “Kyrgyz” originated from the Turk word meaning “forty”. Another proper meaning of the word ‘Kyrgyz” is unconquerable.
The current flag of Kyrgyzstan was implemented on March 3 1992. It was the decision of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan to adopt the post-communist flag for their country. The flag is made up of a red area with a yellow sun positioned at its center. The sun has forty regularly distanced rays. In the center of the sun is a ring crisscrossed with three lines. The symbol behind the red color of the flag is for bravery and valor while the signification of the sun means peace and wealth.
The circle of the sun is formalized depiction of the tündük. The tündük is the wooden crown or pinnacle of a yurt. The yurt is a traditional movable dwelling of the nomadic clans who occupied the steppes of Central Asia. The tündük in the flag of Kyrgyzstan represents the family home or in another sense, the universe for the Kyrgyz people. The tündük is has various and prominent depictions and representations in the architecture of Kyrgyzstan.
The forty rays of the sun signify the forty tribes who united against the Uyghers in 840 AD and succeeded in ending the Uigher Empire. The leader who united the forty tribes into a single state is Manas, a legendary hero in the Kyrgyz history who was believed to use the color red on his banner and which was later adopted into the national flag and the national color of Kyrgyzstan.