A Loya Jirga or a “great council” has been assembled in the spring of 2002 to vote on approve the Afghan national flag with some changes including the Coat of Arms being gold instead of white, and the year now dating “1380” under the mosque instead of “1348”. In June 2002, Afghanistan officially changed its national flag from a white coat of arms in the center of the flag to a gold coat of arms which symbolizes the colour of a wheat wreath.
Changes to flags are nothing new. In the 102 years of Afghanistan’s independence the nation’s national banners were changed 30 times. In 1919 alone it was changed six times. Various flags have rippled for the Afghanistan Emirate, Kingdom, Republic, Socialist Republic, and finally the Islamic State.