The coat of arms, flag, anthem of Bashkortostan are official symbols of the republic. What do they represent and what is the meaning of their symbols? We will talk about this a little lower.
Coat of arms of Bashkortostan: description and significance
The emblem of the republic has a round shape. This form of the coat of arms came from Byzantium, it is characteristic of many peoples of Asia. The central figure is the image of the monument to Salavat Yulaev, unfolded to the left. It is illuminated by the golden rays of the sun. At the foot of the monument is a green kurai flower.
The coat of arms of Bashkortostan frames the national ornament of the region. Below the shield is a ribbon painted in the colors of the flag of the republic: blue, white, green. In the center on a white strip is the inscription: "Bashkortostan."
Salavat Yulaev is a national hero, the son of the Bashkir people. He was a poet who praised in his poems the people's exploits, the beauty of his native land. Its image on the coat of arms symbolizes the struggle for national freedom, strength, justice and unity of the peoples of Bashkiria. The figure of Salavat is a combined image of a jigit warrior.
Kurai is a local plant, a close relative of angelica and hogweed. The flower depicted on the coat of arms has seven inflorescences. It symbolizes exactly seven ancient clans that live on the territory of the republic, and their unity.
How did the coat of arms change?
In 1744, the coat of arms of Bashkortostan had a completely different look. Then there was no Bashkortostan, and the territory on which the Bashkirs lived was called the Ufa Voivodeship. Century later it became known as the Ufa province. The running marten was depicted on a silver provincial coat of arms, and the shield was crowned with an imperial crown and bordered by oak leaves with a blue ribbon.
In the XX century, the territory became the Autonomous Bashkir SSR. The state symbol completely changed its appearance. The coat of arms of Bashkortostan was executed in socialist red and gold colors. In the center of the oval shield was a figure of a man on a running horse. In his hand he held a red flag. At the bottom was a hammer and sickle. The composition was edged with wheat ears intertwined with a red ribbon. At the head was a red star.
In 1937, the figure of a man on a horse was replaced by a full-scale image of a sickle and a hammer. Above it was an inscription with the name of the republic. Below was a red ribbon with a motto urging the proletarians to unite. The coat of arms became more curly, and the ribbon did not bandage wheat ears.
Development of a modern coat of arms
In 1992, when Bashkortostan became a sovereign republic within the Russian Federation, it was necessary to approve a new coat of arms of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The creation of the symbol took about two years. The Commission of the Supreme Council received forty different options. Of these, a version with a vertical image of the national flag was chosen. In the center was a tulpar - a winged horse, and an ornament framed the shield.
Later it turned out that toolpar had already become a symbol of Kazakhstan, so the version had to be rejected. At the same time, an art teacher from Krasnousolsk submitted a variant of the coat of arms, where in the center was an image of a white wolf - a totem animal of the Bashkirs. The mountains of the Urals, the Bashkir solar sign and the image of the sun served as a backdrop. However, this option was rejected.
In the end, in 1993, the Supreme Council approved the modern coat of arms of Bashkortostan, the central images of which are a monument to Yulaev and a drawing of a kurai flower. The author of the coat of arms is the artist Fazletdin Islamov. The monument was turned to the right side and was made with a framing ornament in brown.
In 1999, a new type of coat of arms was approved, where brown was replaced with gold, and the monument was turned to the left.
Flag and anthem of Bashkortostan
The flag of Bashkiria was adopted and approved in 1999. The rectangular flag flag is divided into three horizontal, equal-sized stripes of different colors. In the center is a round emblem, inside of which is a kurai flower with seven inflorescences. The flower is made in gold color. As in the emblem, kurai symbolizes friendship between the clans that united the Bashkirs.
The upper strip of the flag is blue. It symbolizes the sky, meaning purity of thoughts, clarity and goodwill of the people. The middle strip of white indicates peace and bright hopes. The last strip is painted green - this is a sign of eternal life and freedom.
The anthem of the republic is the composition “Republic”. The author of the words is R. Bikbaev and R. Shakur, the music was written by composer F. Idrisov. The anthem exists both in the national language of Bashkiria and in Russian.