Turkmenistan's flag is the only national flag built around a carpet. Five weaving patterns run down a red stripe near the hoist, on a green field.
From Soviet republic to the current design
Under Soviet rule Turkmenistan flew a version of the Soviet flag, red with elements marking out the Turkmen SSR. Independence in 1991 meant a new one was needed, and the first version was adopted on February 19, 1992. It already used Turkmen motifs. A revision in 1997 sharpened them, fixing the guls to the five major tribes and adding the olive branches for the country's declared neutrality. A last set of changes on January 24, 2001 lightened the green and widened the flag from 1:2 to 2:3.
The shift away from a Soviet-derived design toward carpet patterns and Islamic symbols followed a pattern across the former Soviet republics, though few went as far as putting a craft tradition at the center of the flag.
Guls, crescent, and stars
The green field stands for Islam, the predominant religion. The vertical red stripe near the hoist carries five carpet guls, the patterns that distinguish the weaving of the five major tribes: Teke, Yomut, Saryk, Chowdur, and Arsary. Below them sit two crossed olive branches for permanent neutrality.
To the right of the stripe, in the green field, are a white crescent moon and five five-pointed stars, one for each of the country's regions. Red is read as the strength and tradition of Turkmen culture and white as peace.
Use and variants
The flag flies over government buildings, at national holidays, and wherever Turkmenistan is represented abroad, under strict rules on handling and display. Military and other state branches use variants that add insignia to the national design.
Neighboring flags
Central Asian flags share a good deal: Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan also use crescents, green fields, and motifs drawn from nomadic heritage. The Turkmen version is distinguished by how literally it borrows from an existing craft, since the guls on the flag are the same patterns woven into carpets.
References
[1] Turkmenistan Government Portal. "National Flag." (https://www.gov.tm/en)
[2] Smith, Whitney. "Flags Through the Ages and Across the World." McGraw-Hill, 1975.
[3] Vexillology Association of Central Asia. "Flags and their Meanings." (https://centralasiavexillology.org)