The Afghan flag consists of three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green. In the center of the red band is the national emblem, which slightly overlaps the other two bands. The emblem depicts a mosque with a pulpit and flags on either side, below which are Eastern Arabic numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (the Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan.
