CIRCA - 1912 🇦🇱 - a crimson field with a black double-headed eagle centered on it

HISTORY:  Drawn from the banner of 15c national hero Gjergj Skanderbeg, using the Byzantine🔍 imperial 🦅 eagle to signify

     resistance against Ottoman conquest, the current flag was first raised in 1912 to mark Albania's declaration of

     independence from the Ottomans.

        Under the communists, (1946 -92) a star ☆ was added above the eagle, but was removed with

the regime's overthrow.

    [The civil flag is a triband; 2 crimson stripes flanking a middle black stripe all of equal widths]

VEXILLOLOGY:* This design embodies the country's enduring sovereignty, with;

• The Dual-Headed EAGLE 🦅, in heraldic tradition, wings elevated, beak + talons prominent, are a symbol of predatory vigilance & territorial grasp** - reflecting Albania's geopolitical position at the crossroads of Europe & the Near East. (the 2 heads, one facing east🔍, the other west = watching for threats from multiple directions) &...

• The CRIMSON Background represents bravery, strength, valor & the bloodshed 🩸 in the struggle for independence, with the specific hue a nod to the fervor of Albanian warriors, paralleling other Balkan🔍 flags to denote martial resolve & communal endurance

* The STUDY of FLAGS; their history, symbolism, usage, and design. From Latin vexillum - referring to a Roman military standard / flag (from velum= cloth/ covering/sail/curtain

[PIE🔍 root weg = to weave / to cover]) + Greek suffix -logia = study]

** In the original Roman tradition an eagle more literally symbolized Jupiter's favor & a legion's unbreakable spirit Later Biblical imagery reinforced this, with the eagle denoting renewal

& exalted power [e.g., Exodus 19:4, where God bears Israel on eagles' wings.]