The flag of Albania has been through a generous number of changes during the 20th century – with all flags displaying a variation of the double headed eagle with red background. During the reign of King Zogu 1928–1939 (a strict ruler who ran a police state, eliminating civil liberties , silenced the press and murdered opponents), the Albanian flag displayed a golden crown above the eagle. After Zogu’s rule, Albania was under occupation by Italy (1939–1943), and the crown was replaced by two fasces (image depicting a bundle of rods, used as an emblem of authority in Fascist Italy). Later flags depicted the communist symbol – hammer and sickle, subsequently replaced by a communist star. These were removed in 1992 and the flag has stayed the same since. More information on all the variations of the Albania flag can be found here.
The current flag of Albania depicts the iconic double headed eagle in the centre, emblazoned on a red background – red represents bravery, strength and valour.
The eagle is also synonymous with Albanian folklore as depicted in the following folk tale
‘A youth was hunting in the mountains. An eagle flying above him alighted on top of a crag. The eagle was especially large and had a snake in its beak. After a while, the eagle flew away from the crag where it had its nest. The youth then climbed to the top of the crag where he saw, in the nest, an eaglet playing with the dead snake. However, the snake was not dead. Suddenly it stirred, revealed its fangs and was ready to pierce the eaglet with its deadly venom. The youth quickly took out his bow and arrow and killed the snake. Then he took the eaglet and started for his home. Suddenly the youth heard above him the loud whir of the great eagle's wings.
"Why do you kidnap my child?" cried the eagle. "The child is mine because I saved it from the snake which you didn't kill," answered the youth.
"Give me back my child, and I will give you as a reward the sharpness of my eyes and the powerful strength of my wings. You will become invincible, and you will be called by my name!"
Thus the youth handed over the eaglet. After the eaglet grew, it would always fly above the head of the youth, now a grown man, who with his bow and arrows killed many wild beasts of the forest, and with his sword slew many enemies of the land. During all of these feats, the eagle faithfully watched over and guided him.
Amazed by the valiant hunter's deeds, the people of the land elected him king and called him Shqipëtar, which is to say Son of the Eagle (shqipe or shqiponjë is Albanian for eagle) and his kingdom became known as ‘Shqipëria’ or Land of the Eagles. The two heads on the eagle represent the north and the south.
The flag Shop has a wide range of Albanian flags for sale in various sizes, as well as bunting, hand wavers and table flags. As our customer reviews show, we are the most trusted and reliable Flag Seller in the UK, so if you are looking to buy an Albania flag look no further!
