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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie We Almost Got

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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a cult classic amongst ‘90s pop culture enthusiasts and Power Rangers fans. Even with its fairly standard ‘90s adventure movie plot, wherein the Rangers lose their powers and have to go on a mystical quest to gain new ones, the film still sticks in the mind. Main baddie Ivan Ooze chews all the scenery, there are some impressive fight scenes, and the Rangers save the day by kneeing a monster in the balls. Yes the CG is dated, the story doesn’t hold up to some of the better episodes of the show, and it’s not in continuity with the series but if you want to have a movie night with friends of a certain age, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a solid watch.

While many love the film exactly as it is, it didn’t go from script to screen completely unchanged. An early draft of the script we discovered, dated October 15, 1994, written by Arne Olsen and David Kemper (the final film credits Arne Olsen with a story by John Kamps and Arne Olsen) has many changes that if included could have made for a very different viewing experience. The script contains new characters, fleshed out backstories, altered scenes, and makes us question the long-standing belief that the people behind the film didn’t “get” Power Rangers.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of every single change from script to screen. There are hundreds of them throughout but we’re focusing on the biggest changes that add new context to the film.

Fleshed Out Backstories

Even though this film isn’t in continuity with the Power Rangers TV series there’s still a lot here for fans to dig into that offer clues to a much bigger universe happening behind the usual stories we’d get in the show. While the script doesn’t have the opening voiceover, which originally gave much of the backstory for Ivan Ooze, here the characters themselves deliver it.

Zordon tells the team that Ivan Ooze “rid entire cities of their adult populations, then twisted the minds of the kids into following in his evil path.” So Ivan’s luring of children and getting rid of their parents wasn’t just a one-off plan for this film, there was some precedent behind it! He further explains that a rebel faction of young people “known as the Order of Meledan” rallied against Ooze and lured him into a hyperlock chamber that was then buried deep underground.

Some of that was given in the movie’s original intro but it still paints a more detailed picture of Ivan. The Order of Meledan, long whispered about in hardcore Power Rangers fan circles, paints an intriguing picture. Later in the script Dulcea tells the Rangers how she knows Alpha and in doing so reveals more about The Order.

She describes it as an interstellar peace keeping force headed by “the finest commander in all the galaxy… Zordon of Altare.” (Yes, they misspelled Eltar throughout the script as Altare.) Zordon was more than a commander though, Dulcea calls him a “legend” and without him the universe would be “a very different place from what it is today.”

Power Rangers: A Guide to the Multiverse

By Shamus Kelley

This is incredibly significant. Zordon’s backstory in the show was vague. We knew he had a physical form at one point and battled Rita but to get confirmation he was the head of a force of warriors? This is the kind of information fans always suspected before the 2017 film made it a central plot point and the recent Boom Studios comics began to address it. The film isn’t in continuity with the show (or the comics for that matter) but to know at one point Zordon was given more history and was all over the universe saving people, should give Power Rangers fans chills. We can only wonder if this build up of Zordon’s character was only to give added weight to this film or if they were laying the groundwork for further films to explore it.

Dulcea doesn’t directly mention what happened to The Order of Meledan but after “our enemies” were defeated she returned to Phaedos (where she resides in the film) and Zordon and Alpha moved on “to continue the struggle elsewhere.” Did they take The Order with them? Who else was a part of it? Questions we’ll sadly never get the answers to.

The script however does give us more details about “The Great Power.” In the film it’s mostly kept vague, a simple power source that gives the Rangers their suits back and allows Zordon to return from the dead. The script takes more time explaining it (which was likely cut out for pacing and time reasons) where Dulcea explains that it originated in another time and dimension, brought to Phaedos by the now all but extinct “Nathadian” race. They were the ones who built the stone monolith later seen in the climatic “Guardian” fight in the film and stored the power inside to keep it hidden from their enemies.

The Nathadians are continually brought up in the script, with the race actually being the origin of the term Ninjetti. During the team’s training with Dulcea (more on that later) she lays out that, in Nathadian, “nin” stands for “man” and “Jetti” stands for animal. Ninjetti is man and animal, together as one, “the highest state of being.” How does Dulcea know all this? She’s the sole living descendant of the race!

While the film itself gives us precious little about Dulcea and mostly leans on her past connection with Zordon. Here at least we get a bit about her culture and how that ties into the Rangers’ new powers. It makes Dulcea less of a plot device; she gets to be a person.

Perhaps one of the most fun backstory additions in the film is also tied to a changed scene. In the final film Alpha uses the last remaining power in the Command Center to transport the Rangers to Phaedos. In the script however they travel by a spacecraft that belongs to Alpha.

Hidden in the command center is “a Stinger PX-3000 with dual thunder-cams, long held to be the most reliable Interstellar Craft in the Galaxy.” Alpha relates that he arrived on Earth in the craft over four hundred years ago. Kimberly isn’t impressed, suggesting they swing by a car wash because it’s so dirty inside.

It’s a small beat but it’s fun and suggests that Alpha arrived on Earth independently of Zordon. Maybe the two parted ways at one point and he went off to have his own adventures. We know Alpha has karate chopping action, so maybe he’s the hero of a far off galaxy!

(Snoggle, who never made it into the finished film, can be seen all the way to the left.)

New Characters

While reading through the script I noticed that while the structure of it isn’t all that different from the finished film, a lot of sections were cut, likely for time or budgetary reasons. A few side characters didn’t make it to screen, one of which is the long rumored Snoggle. Glimpsed in behind-the-scenes photos and videos for years, Snoggle has held an air of mystery as a huge dropped part of the movie.

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For anyone out there wondering what his point in the movie was, his role in the script isn’t that significant and he’s mostly there to be a sidekick to Dulcea. He’s described as “a helper, an anteater-like creature” who doesn’t speak English. His biggest contribution to the plot is lightly mocking the Rangers as they train with Dulcea.

Far more interesting is the never before seen Queen Tengu. Yes, while in the film the Tengu simply obeyed Ivan Ooze’s commands. here they have a leader. She’s created out of a bolt of energy from Ivan and is described as having a different color than the rest of the Tengu along with “glowing red eyes.” It’s also specified that she speaks with “squawk subtitles.” She gets to play an integral part in a cut fight scene we’ll get to later.

Also, Fred’s mom is in script. She doesn’t do much but hey, she’s there for the lead kid character to worry about!

Changed Scenes

Most scenes in the script have at least a few differences, changed words, small bits of description that didn’t make it into the film, etc. We’re going to focus on the biggest changes, scenes and moments that would have made a significant difference to the film.

Remembering the Cast Changeover

Kimberly’s mini speech about how Zordon has been like a father to them all is in the scene just after Ivan attacks him. Her heart to heart with Tommy also take place not on Phadeos but on Alpha’s old ship as they travel to the planet. The other Rangers join in on the conversation with Aisha’s touching addition, “you know, meeting Zordon… teaming up with all you guys… it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Rocky chimes in with, “it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to ALL of us.”

It’s a great little moment that not only brings the team closer together but also acknowledges the then recent cast changeover that happened in the TV series.

Ninjetti Powers

The biggest changes though begin when the Rangers are given their Ninjetti powers. Instead of just a swirling light the Rangers put their hands in an urn. There they see and take on the shape of their animals, the costumes appearing as Dulcea describes their traits. In a bizarre omission most of the Rangers get flowery descriptions of their animals (“cunning and swift”, “agile and sublime”, etc.) Rocky doesn’t get any! Dulcea just says “Rocky, you are the Mighty Ape” and moves on. Ouch.

Adam’s now legendary line “I’m a frog” isn’t present in the script but a slight variation of it is. He simply says, “a frog” when given his powers. Dulcea at least tries to make it sound cool, calling the frog “the artful jumper.”

Added Stakes

There’s a bigger ticking clock added when the Rangers head to the monolith in the forest. Dulcea relays that once they cross the threshold to the inner sanctum they only have about two minutes to release the power or it’ll self-destruct, “causing a thermonuclear reaction of such magnitude that the entire planet will instantly burst into a billion flaming particles hurtling through space.”

That’s…. a lot. In the film we just had the threat of Zordon losing his life but here the Rangers themselves will bite it if they don’t unlock the power fast enough. If that idea was kept that would mean they couldn’t have a long fight outside the monolith so that’s probably why it was cut.

Tommy Is An Idiot

The scene at the monolith itself of course lasts longer than two minutes worth of screen time, with the Rangers all trying to find a way to unlock the great power. In the absolute funniest moment of the script, Adam suggests they have to break through as “our Ninjetti animals.”

Tommy takes this hilariously literally and the script delightfully describes how he “dives through the air, hits the monolith with a resounding crunch.” Don’t vote for dummy, am I right? For all of Tommy’s status as the most legendary Ranger of all time, in the show itself he’s actually pretty stupid. How he became a doctor I’ll never know.

Bringing Zordon Back to Life

The Rangers do finally unlock their powers thanks to a communication from Zordon just before the monolith explodes. He tells them to keep their spirits up which somehow makes the Rangers realize they have to master the spiritual side of their Ninjetti powers.

The team wins the day but instead of teleporting from Phaedos to the city as they do in the film, they instead go back to the command center. There the scene largely plays it as it did later in the film with the team using their new powers to restore the command center and bring Zordon back to life.

It’s hard to know whether this scene was shot in the film with the intention of it being used after they left Phadeos but was switched around in editing but eagle eyed fans might want to give it a watch again.

With the Rangers bringing him back to life Zordon gives the Rangers new power coins as “a reward for your amazing bravery” which will unlock their new Ninja Zords. No explanation is given for where the Zords came from which… is the most Zordon thing this script could do. He always had an extra Zord fleet just hanging around whenever the Rangers learned a lesson. Maybe the writers of this film understood Power Rangers more than we give them credit for!

The Final Zord Battle

The Megazord fight in the city goes for much longer than it does in the film, the CGI costs most likely preventing some of the wilder events the script describes such as the Megazord getting tossed into Angel Grove First National Bank and the Megazord delivering double punches, drop kicks, roundhouse hooks, and spinback kicks. Would have loved to see that PS1 cutscene Megazord try and pull those off!

Later in the fight Ivan grabs the Zord and takes them to “Westside Bluffs” where he tosses them off a cliff but of course Tommy saves the day by swooping in with the Falcon Zord and attaching himself to the back so they can fly. This is almost immediately undercut as the fight continues underwater. Ivan ends up landing in an active underwater volcano, which was, again, probably deemed too expensive to pull off with the limited CGI resources of the film.

New Powers

One of the most well known cuts from the film is that the Rangers were originally shown without the visors in their helmets. This was done to better convey the actor’s emotions during filming of the action scenes. The idea was thankfully scrapped but it’s prevalent in the script. Alpha tells the team he’s retro-fitted their helmets with new “Omni Scan devices.” We aren’t sure if this is just another power-up or if “Omni Scan” is just a fancy description for “we took the visors out of your helmet so I guess you have a slightly bigger range of vision and your identities are now completely exposed.” The Rangers go visorless again later in the film when they get their powers back.

The Rangers also get new individual powers. Billy has an “Audio Enhancer” that takes the form of an “Auto Phonic Receiver” that pops out of the side of his helmet. Rocky has a Power Tracker that’s basically a scope that snaps into place over his left eye. Presumably this would have been inside the helmet. This is an earlier version of the scanner he ended up using in the finished film.

Power Rangers: The Unproduced Episodes

By Shamus Kelley

Power Rangers: Ranking All 26 Seasons

By Shamus Kelley

Ivan Ooze also gets a few new powers of his own. Instead of the scene when he tricks the Rangers into thinking he’s a security guard and then morphs into his true form, in the script Ivan makes an even showier entry. The Rangers spot a “grotesque horned creature” that springs out of a cave and lands in front of them. It snarls, exposing long dripping fangs. Only then does it shape into Ivan Ooze. He then doesn’t unleash the Oozemen on the team but instead zaps six rats. Previously mentioned in the script, they’re transformed into “six hairy rat-beasts.”

These rats were built for the film but were scrapped for not being high enough quality. However, they did find a use when filming on the movie went over schedule and they had to shoot episodes of the TV series in Australia (these scheduling issues caused several planned episodes to be scrapped and lost to time, which you can read more about here). The rats were deemed good enough for the show and appeared in the “Return of the Green Ranger” mini-series.

Back in the film, Tommy gets to show off a new power when he shoots laser blasts from his eyes. Saba, called the “Saba Saber” here, doesn’t get to save the day as he does in the film. When the rats are incinerated by Tommy’s blast they turn back into the six original small rats.

Even the Megazord gets a cool… old/new power? While in the film the Rangers just whip out a sword, here the script describes the Rangers summoning the “POWER SWORD.” It even drops from the heavens like in the show! This probably wasn’t supposed to be the original Megazord’s power sword… but what if it was? How much of an amazing callback would that have been? Mostly likely though it would have been the same design as in the film, just dropping from the sky like the original Power Sword did.

New Scenes

The biggest sequences cut from the film feature the Rangers training as Ninjetti. While in the film they were given the powers very quickly, here we get several extended training scenes with Dulcea. She trains each of the Rangers individually, walking along a bamboo log on her hands with Kimberly, lifting a giant boulder with Aisha, fighting Billy with a whistling stick blindfolded, and Tommy flying through the air from a rope. Adam and Rocky don’t get any training because I guess this script really has it out for those guys. Throughout all this Snoggle watches and is just a sassy little jerk to them.

These scenes were probably scrapped either for time or the fact that they’d been shot with Mariska Hargitay, who’d replaced Gabrielle Fitzpatrick after she was injured just before filming began. However after months of shooting the producers then decided to reshoot all of the Dulcea scenes which they brought Fitzpatrick back for. We’ve seen behind-the-scenes footage of Hargitay performing these scenes so perhaps they were deemed too expensive to mount again or simply cut even after the reshoots.

In what is perhaps the best idea cut from the script, the Rangers are all struggling to master their Ninjetti powers. Rocky, at least getting one moment of character, lashes out at Dulcea,

“I don’t even know why we came here in the FIRST place! Without our Morphin Powers, we’re just a bunch of TEENAGERS!”

Duclea doesn’t let this stand when she tells the team, “you have been relying on your Morphin Powers for so long that you’ve forgotten how to rely on yourselves.”

Power Rangers Seasons We Never Saw

By Shamus Kelley

Putting aside that the Rangers regularly fight unmorphed, this is actually a really great idea. This could have made a fantastic arc to the film that would justify only having one morphed ground fight at the beginning. The Rangers learning they need to be powerful even without their powers could have been a great test of their characters. By undergoing this training they’d realize the value in not just relying on their morphed abilities. This lesson isn’t really stressed throughout the script but it’s still an absolute gem of an idea I wish had been expanded.

Later during a new action scene that replaces the bone dinosaur fight; the team goes up against the Tengu Queen. This fight takes place near a chasm, with the Tengus blocking the team’s path across a tenuous rope bridge. The Rangers get to show off their new skills and even deliver some groan inducing one-liners such as “pheasant dreams!”

In a move directly ripped from the show, the Rangers can only defeat the Tengu by aiming for their beaks. Z Putties, much? Adam gets his moment to be cool when he defeats the Queen Tengu by leaping toward her, looking her dead in the eyes and quips, “polly wanna cracker?” This is how he defeats her, I kid you not.

This fight is the main action set piece for this part of the film. We don’t get the “Guardian” warrior fight outside the temple. While those designs would be missed it at least keeps the Tengu a bigger threat in the film than simply being blown up by Ivan.

The film ends not with a display of fireworks but with perhaps the cheesiest scene in the entire script. The Rangers are in the command center and Alpha holds up a camera and asks them to say cheese. I’ll just quote the description of the rest because it’s perfection.

The kids share amused looks and all together they LEAP INTO THE AIR, PUMPING THEIR FISTS UP VICTORIOUSLY.

“POWER RANGERS!”

WE FREEZE FRAME.

Okay, the writers of this script DO understand Power Rangers.

Was The Script Better Than What We Got?

With all these changes in mind, would the movie have been better if this draft of the script was left intact? Not really.

In isolation some of these changes are fascinating but taken as a whole the script really isn’t that much better than the movie we ended up getting. Yes some of the little additions of lore are fascinating for Power Rangers fans but they don’t add much to the story. The movie still doesn’t have a character arc for any of the Rangers or the rest of the cast for that matter. It’s a generic 90’s adventure movie with the Power Rangers mixed in.

It also suffers from desperately trying to give all the Rangers something to say in every scene they’re in. While I appreciate the sentiment, this leaves large chunks of the script dedicated to giving each Ranger a line of dialogue whether it’s needed or not. That dialogue is also completely interchangeable. No work has been done to try and distinguish how each of the Rangers talk (you could say the show had this issue too). They’re all just generic heroes, except for the odd smart guy line from Billy or heartfelt declaration from Kimberly.

Without that the movie just moves from set piece to set piece, only wringing emotion out of Zordon’s near death which is undercut by his revival before the Megazord climax. The filmmakers made the right call by placing this scene later on.

But if we’d gotten this script as is it’d still maintain its cult classic status. Power Rangers was an absolute juggernaut at that point in entertainment and that alone would earn it a warm place of nostalgia in fans’ minds. Yeah it’s a sloppy movie but who cares when you can watch (or read it) and get that same feeling you had when you saw it for the first time as a kid.

But for real, why does this script hate Rocky so much?

The post The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie We Almost Got appeared first on Den of Geek.

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aftaabmagazine · 5 years

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From Aryana to Afghanistan: The Historic Role of the Afghan Flag

By Mir Hekmatullah Sadat From the April - September 1999 issue of Afghan Magazine | Lemar-Aftaab

[caption: the first Afghan flag of the last century]

Mir Hekmatullah Sadat writes about the historical significance of flags in the course of human history. He also explains the background of the various flags of Afghanistan. The "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century" was awarded to the Central Asian nation, a sign of the political volatility it faced during the last century.

According to Flags of the World, "Since time immemorial man has felt the need of some sign or symbol as a mark to distinguish himself, his family or country, and such symbols have taken many different forms, of which one is the flag" (Barraclough, 1978). Political scientists, historians, sociologists, and others recognize flags as artifacts expressive of cultures of certain times and places. The scholarly study of the history, symbolism, etiquette, design, manufacture, and other aspects of flags is known as "Vexillology" stemming from the Latin word "vexillum" (banner) which was coined by Dr. Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Centre. According to Fruhlinger (1996, Nov 26),

The vexillum (pl. vexilla; "v" pronounced like an English "w" in classical Latin) was the term for the standard carried by the Roman legion. This word is itself a diminutive for "velum," sail, which confirms the art historical evidence (from coins and sculpture) that vexilla were literally "little sails," i.e., flag-like. (Velum in English has various specialized meanings, mostly about sail-like things: the membranes of certain mollusks, and a kind of drafting paper, bear the name.) The word velum comes from the Indo-European roots VAG- or VEH-, involving motion. These produced the Germanic words that became Saxon (and later English) words like wagon and way, which are unrelated to the flying verbs above.

In the rich and diverse cultural-linguistic heritage of Afghanistan, there exist numerous words for flag such as bayraq (incorporated from the Turkish language), parcham (in Dari), lewa (religious purposes such as Islamic), darafs (dating back to the Aryana era), alam (military purposes), togh (used in holy shrines), and janda (for holy shrine purposes). The flag, over the centuries, has developed many specialized uses.

Flags recognizable as such were the invention, almost certainly, of the ancient civilization of China and the Indian subcontinent. The first "flags" consisted of symbols attached to the tops of poles. Such flaglike objects appear in Egyptian art of the mid-3000's BC. Cloth flags were probably first used in China about 3000 BC. These flags were made of silk. Barraclough (1978) informs us that in 1122 BC, the founder of the Chou dynasty in China had a white flag carried before him. It is also known that in 660 AD a minor prince was punished for failing to lower his feudal flag before the emperor. Flags had equal importance in ancient India, being carried on chariots and elephants.

Originally, flags took the form of cloth or similar material displaying the insignia of a community, an armed force, an office, or an individual. It marked the position of an important individual before a battle, during a siege, throughout a ceremony, or at a tournament. For the monarch or feudal lord, it marked the palace, castle, saluting base, tent, or ship where he was actually present. The royal flag had all the attributes of kingship, being identified with the ruler and treated with similar respect. It was thus a crime even to touch the flag-bearer. The flag was the first object of attack in battle, and its fall would mean confusion if not defeat. The monarch would rarely expose his flag and his person together; the flag is normally entrusted to a general. Flags are now extensively employed for signaling, for decoration, and display.

In recent times the issue of flag burning busied the United States Supreme Court. Incinerating a nation's flag often signifies political protest and a great insult. Also, when the flag of one country is placed above that of another, the victory of the former is denoted. Hence, in time of peace, it would be an indignity to hoist the flag of one friendly nation above that of another. Each national flag must be flown from its flagstaff. To denoted honor and respect, a flag is dipped. When troops parade before a sovereign or other reviewing officer, the regimental flags are lowered as they salute superiors. A flag flying at half-mast is the universal symbol of mourning. The white flags are universally used as a flag of truce.

The color and designs of national flags are not arbitrarily selected but rather stem from the history, culture, or religion of the particular country. Many flags can be traced to a common origin, and such 'flag families' are often linked both by a common tradition and by geography. In the Middle East, the predominance of Islam has generally influenced flags to been comprised of the four traditional Muslim colors of red, white, green, and black. Many of these flags use one or several of these colors in the tricolor format along with some emblem.

The black color in the Afghan flag is derived from the Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) time. Black was the color of Prophet Mohammed's (PBUH) banner. The flag was heroically carried and hoisted into the battles, from the 822 AD to 1022 AD (2nd to 4th century Hijri).

According to Ghobar (1963), the black flag was raised again by Abu Muslim Khorasani in 746 AD in the city of Marwa. Khorasani was a General and leader who rose through the ranks in the ancient land of Afghanistan, Khorasan. Abu Muslim, dressed in black attire, led the revolutionary movement for people's independence and an end to taxation without representation in Khorasan. Abu Muslim declared himself Shahan-shah Khorasan in reward for his services to the Abbasid caliph. The Abbasid dynasty still depended on him to keep order because Abu Muslim had the support of the inhabitants of Khorasan. This movement changed the base for influence in the Islamic World. The base became international, emphasizing membership in the community of Muslim believers rather than Arab nationality. The black color symbolized the struggle for independence and the Muslim guardians in the Abbasid era in 746 AD (129 Hijri).

From the 9th century until the 10th century, the Ghaznavid era took root on present-day Afghanistan. Ghaznavid power reached its zenith during Sultan Mahmud's reign. During this period, the palace of Lashkari Bazar near Lashkar Gah just north of Qalah-e Bust, Kandahar was built. The famous poet Ferdowsi (d.1020 AD) completed his epic Book of Kings (Shahnama) at the court of Sultan Mahmud in the year 1010. During this period, the color red became the standard color of the Ghaznavid Civilization. This strong culture continued where Abu Muslim Khorasani left off. He forged an empire that stretched from the Oxus to the Indus Valley and the Indian Ocean; in the west, he captured most of Persia and eventually encapsulated North Africa and the Middle East. The Ghaznavid's influenced the inhabitants of what is referred to as Pakistan to embrace Islam. A devout Muslim, Mahmud expanded the frontiers of the Islamic World. The red color came to represent the blood of the martyrs of Islam and the valor of the brave ghazis (fighters/warriors).

According to Sadat, Ahmad Shah Baba, for the united government of Afghanistan, chose a national insignia representative of a sword, a star, and ears of corn which were also included in the flag of Afghanistan (3). The ears of corn are symbolic of the agricultural nature of Afghanistan. Moreover, the two ears of corn are symbolic of the first Loya Jirga in 1747. It was then that all the various tribes united and chose Ahmad Shah Baba as their first formal Afghan leader. The famous dervish, Saber Shah Kabuli, crowned the ears of corn upon his head to signal the prosperity of his reign.

About a century later, among the Ghazis and other heroes lays the stories of brave women such as Malalai. In today's political atmosphere, where women are treated as property the achievements of women like Malalai must be noted. Her patriotism and struggle were exemplified during the Battle of Maiwand on July 29, 1879, where the victorious Afghans led by Sardar Ayub Khan ensured victory over the British forces. Throughout the midst of shelling and warfare, Malalai stood firm and kept the red flag of war aloft to the last minute until success was declared. The red has come to symbolize the lives and sacrifices of brave warriors for the preservation of their motherland and religion.

After the expulsion of British colonialism, Afghans hoisted again the green color. It represented a new beginning and was the color of the Prophet's turban. The color green has an even deeper meaning in our history of the land. During a Naw-Bahar (early spring), a tradition dating back to the Aryana civilization, a green flag would be flown to commemorate the season. Green symbolizes vegetation, lushness, and prosperity. Besides this tradition, green has become a favorite color in the Islamic world noticeable in many nations' flags.

Similar to the color of the flag, there have existed many emblems. In the course of history, the emblems have assumed various shapes and forms. Lions are often referred to as the king of the animal kingdom; therefore, many civilizations adopted that animal as their emblem.

Five thousand years ago in present-day Afghanistan, the first flag for a formal government belonged to King Yama. According to historical texts, this flag is referred to as Darafsh-Aryana. The first capital of the Aryan civilization was in Balkh, known then as Bukhd or Bukhdis. This city was symbolic of a united culture and enlightenment. The ancient flags were comprised of peacock feathers with the sun as their emblem. Ahmad Shah Baba and his Abdali descendants symbolized this heritage by using peacock as ornaments on their crown. Legends describe the beautiful high flags flown from the city's lofty towers.

According to ancient Dari folklore tales, there exist legends regarding Kawa-e Hadad (the leather flag of a Blacksmith) which resembled a flag. Many poems and poets such as Ferdowsi have written interesting books and articles regarding Kawa-e Hadad. Kawa-e Hadad is a symbol of the resistance movement against the corrupt King Zahak. Kawa is a leather-material used to generate air with it for the refreshment of the fire so that the metal becomes hot and can be smelted. A famous blacksmith raised his Kawa, as a form of a flag, to lead the resistance against Zahak who wanted to sacrifice the blacksmith's son. The other inhabitants of the city allied themselves with the blacksmith and this movement were so successful that it dethroned an evil king. Later on, this Kawa or leather flag used by the blacksmith came to be globally known as Darafsh-e Kawiani.

A settlement existed at Balkh as early as 500 BC, and the town was visited by the Greeks, the Turks, Kushans, and Arabs. During the 8th century, Balkh became the capital of Khorasan. At the time of the Abbasids and Samanids, Balkh earned its name as capital and center of learning earned it the title Mother of Cities (Umm al-Bilad). This city produced was the birthplace of Maulana Jalaluddin Balkhi (Rumi). Unfortunately, like many of us, Maulana's had to migrate because of the region pillaged by the Mongol invaders under Ghengis Khan in 1220.

In the 19th century AD (13th century Hijri), the state emblem appeared as a minbar (pulpit) under an arch on a flag. It is from the pulpit that the faithful are led to the right path, the path leading to salvation, justice, and freedom. This emblem was symbolized of worship and faith among Muslims in Afghanistan. In modern times, since about 1890, the state emblem has been a stylized picture of an open mosque with a praying mihrab (a mark in the wall of a mosque) and pulpit. This is the constant reminder of the influence of Islam because the mihrabs of mosques always point towards Mecca, the direction in which all Muslims pray. The pulpit and the arch are representative of Islam.

After a study of various flags used in different eras of Afghan history, the flag was again augmented to fulfill the patriotic needs of the Afghan people. In the early part of this century, a Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) convened in 1928 after Shah Amanullah Ghazi's tour of Europe chose to add to the existing national flag three vertical fringes, a wreath of wheat, a rising sun, and a star; to the foot some snowy mountains and a tape with the inscriptions "Afghanistan."

The wreath of wheat (two ears of corn) symbolizes agriculture and refers to the tradition that one of the army officers, Ahmad Shah Baba, was chosen monarch in 1747 at a tribal council and crowned with such a wreath by the famous dervish Kabuli. The sunrays resemble the old name of Afghanistan, Khorasan meaning, "land of the rising sun." It symbolizes freedom and promises a new bright future.

Subsequent national flags also included a cogwheel and an open book. The cogwheel was chosen for its symbolism of the forthcoming industrialization; the open book represented the Holy Quran and knowledge of the past and future to come. Also, the prior mentioned colors green, red, and black were incorporated into a tricolor flag. The tricolor flag took the shape of black, red, and green vertical stripes. Shah Amanullah Ghazi led Afghanistan to independence in 1919 and similarly raised the first nationally independent flag since the mid-1800's century. The arms and colors designed appealed to the patriotic and religious sentiments of the Afghan people.

After Muhammad Nadir Khan was proclaimed king in 1933 through his comrade-in-arms, the Amani flag was restored, the old shield was included, as a concession to those in favor of tradition and the return of Shah Amanullah Ghazi to the throne. Contrary to the prior mentioned approach, Nadir Khan did change the color of the royal flag. The royal flag which was the color black since the days of Dost Muhammad Khan changed to red during Nadir Khan's reign.

On September 2, 1947, the Independence of Pashtunistan was proclaimed, although this was never realized during the decolonization of British India. The provisional flag symbolic of this movement was a red flag with inscriptions "Pashtunistan" or "Pashtunistan Zindabad" (Long Live Pashtunistan). The flag was comprised in a diagonal or semicircular form. This Pashtunistan issue reached its peak in 1955. At that time, Afghan protesters stormed Pakistan's Embassy in Kabul, as well as, the Consulates in Jalalabad and Kandahar. The demonstrators expressed their sentiments towards Pakistan's policies by incinerating their flag. Almost forty years later, the conflict with Pakistan reopened old wounds, and in 1994 this act was repeated in Kabul.

President Muhammad Daud changed the tricolor pattern to a horizontal shape in 1973, and the national insignia was modified to contain ears of corn, pulpit, and sunrays. More impressive than any of these changes was the re-introduction of the eagle into the flag. According to Lawrence Keppie, The Making of the Roman Army, "Marius [Gaius Marius, a Roman General] is also credited with making the eagle the legion's first standard, and a focus of loyalty and affection." In ancient times, the emblems often bore a resemblance to lions and eagles. The lion was widely used as a symbol of strength and courage, and the eagle was often used to signify powerful, swift, high flying, and graceful flight, and keen vision. Eagles are representative emblems of the original Aryan Civilization.

The Aryans lived in the high mountainous areas of the region where their foremost animal companions were the beautiful eagles. In ancient legends told throughout Afghanistan, the eagle has had a sovereign place in society. In those times when a tribe chose their leader or when tribes chose a king; they would gather at a place and let the eagle take flight. Whoever's shoulder or head the eagle perched on would be designated as their rightful leader. There is also an Afghan saying regarding good luck: Oqab-e padshahi bar sarash nishasta ast (A royal eagle has perched on his/her head). Moreover, the eagle is said to represent the legendary bird that brought a crown for the first king of Afghanistan, Yama.

In the twentieth century, the Afghan flag took slightly different shapes; however, it still contained significant commonalities. The colors of the flag were usually interpreted as standing for progress from the dark times of the past sacrifices to prosperity. Black stood for the past flags, red for the bloodshed of heroes for independence, and green is symbolic of the Islamic faith and hope in the future. Although the exact form of the flag has been changed several times, these colors are recognized as the national color.

The myths, legends, and historical incidents concerning the Afghan flag and the emblems, therefore, present a variety of cultural riches. The liberation of the people of Khorasan and the dawn of a new day is represented by the rising sun. The flag has contained in its coat of arms such ears of corn and eagles remind the Afghan people of their heritage and their honorable roots. The Holy Quran, mihrab, mosque, and minbar are seen as emblems of religious enlightenment and faith as they indicate the direction of Mecca.

During the summer of 1992, the government handed over the administration of the country to an exiled provisional government located in Pakistan. As of June 5, 1992, the new rulers of Kabul had not yet altered the official flag. In the opening parade of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, the Afghan delegation paraded with the legal flag consecrated by the Constitution of 1987. In the past decade, After 1992, the Afghan flag has changed so much that experts have gone so far as awarding the title, "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century" to the Afghan flag.

According to Talocci (1982), flags are an everyday object, yet the vast majority of people are quite ignorant of them. While most individuals can recognize a half dozen national flags, generally little or nothing is known of their history, symbolism, or usage. Adults, as well as children, are attracted by the bright colors and motion of flags. Rarely there is consideration given to why flags are used or what they mean. The flag is a reminder of lost territories, of patriot heroes, of hopes for a better future, of the promises of religions and political systems, of the sanctity of the ways of past generations. The American Revolution of 1775-1783 and the French Revolution of 1789 in large part created the modern sense of citizen participation in the formation of the nation which nowadays we take for granted (pages 7-8).

The flag was based on the will of the Afghan people in both religious and national tradition relative to the history of the land. Throughout history, the Afghan flag has represented sanctity for those seeking refuge in it, national liberation from oppression, and was always designed by aspirations from environmental and philosophical symbols.

The existence of Afghanistan's national flag has not easily been handed to its citizens who have sacrificed themselves for their people. Therefore, individuals' loyalties and allegiances to their homeland should surpass other individualistic or sectarian interests. Furthermore, under Chapter 1, Article 1, of the United Nations' Charter, Afghanistan must be allowed to regain its "self-determination" from exploitative neighboring and regional countries.

Chronology of the Century's Past Flags of the past century.

Afghanistan was awarded "Most Changed Flag of the 20th Century".

1901-1919: Black field with a central white emblem of mosque, flags, and wreath.

1919 - September 1928: Same, except central emblem surrounded by an eight-pointed sunburst.

September 1928 - January1929: Vertical black, red, green. Central white emblem of mountains, sun, wreath, topped by a star.

January 1929 - October 1929: red, black, and white tricolor.

October 1929-1933: Same three-striped field, but using earlier emblem used periodically between 1901-1928 surrounded by a sunburst.

1933-1973: Same three-striped field, central white emblem of mosque, flags, and wreath.

July 1973 - April 1978: Horizontal field, lower half-green, the upper half is black over red. The emblem in the upper hoist of eagle, pulpit, wreath, sunburst. Designed by Youssef Kohzad for Sardar Daoud Khan.

April 1978 - December 1979: Red Field with a gold emblem in upper hoist consisting of script characters saying "Khalq" (Masses Party), wreath, and star.

January 1980 - November 1987: Three equal horizontal stripes of black over red over green. The multicolor emblem in the upper hoist of pulpit, book, wreath, sunburst, topped by cogwheel and a star.

November1987 - April 1992: Same as previous, but emblem lacks book and a red star. Also, the cogwheel was relocated to the bottom and the green "horizon" below the sunburst is now curved.

April 1992 - December 1992: Three equal horizontal stripes of green, white, black with white text on green stripe saying Allah Akbar (God is Great) and black text on white stripe saying the Shahadat.

December 1992 - August 1996: Same three stripes with a golden emblem similar to past flags centered in the middle.

1996 - 2001: The flag (at least initially) was a plain white banner, later incorporated the inscriptions of the Shahadat in the center.

Refernece

Barraclough, E.M. (1978). Flags of the World. London: Frederick Warne.

Fruhlinger, J. (1996). Etymology of Vexillological Terminology." FOTW Flags Of The World Website. http://fotw.digibel.be/flags/flagetym.html

Ghobar, G.M. (1963). Afghanistan dar Massir-e Tarikh. Kabul. P. 77.

Sadat, M.E. (1998). Afghanistan sar Zamim Hamasa wa Fajaha. Germany. P.3.

By Mir Hekmatullah Sadat

Mir Hekmatullah Sadat has a BA from the University of California, Irvine and an MA the California State University, Fullerton, and a PhD at Claremont Graduate University.

#afghanistan #afghanhistory

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