For things named Crescent, see Crescent (disambiguation).

An example of an artistic crescent — in this case a large circle with a smaller one removed.

An astronomically correct crescent shape (in blue), complemented by a gibbous shape. Lunar phase (or Moon phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer usually on Earth

In art and symbolism, a crescent is generally the shape produced when a circular disk has a segment of another circle removed from its edge, so that what remains is a shape enclosed by two circular arcs of different diameters which intersect at two points (usually in such a manner that the enclosed shape does not include the center of the original circle). Circles are simple Shapes of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane which are at a constant Distance, called the

In astronomy, a crescent is the shape of the lit side of a spherical body (most notably the Moon) that appears to be less than half illuminated by the Sun as seen by the viewer. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Mathematically, assuming the terminator lies on a great circle, such a crescent will actually be the figure bounded by a half-ellipse and a half-circle, with the major axis of the ellipse coinciding with a diameter of the semicircle. The terminator is a fictive line that delimits the illuminated day side and dark Night side of a planetary body (also known as the "grey line" or A great circle is a Circle on the surface of a Sphere that has the same circumference as the sphere dividing the sphere into two equal Hemispheres. In Mathematics, an ellipse (from the Greek ἔλλειψις literally absence) is a Conic section, the locus of points in a The direction in which the "horns" (the points at the intersection of the two arcs) face indicates whether a crescent is waxing (also young, or increasing) or waning (also old, or decreasing). Eastward pointing horns (pointing to the left, as seen from the Northern hemisphere) indicate a waxing crescent, whereas westward pointing horns (pointing to the right, as seen from the Northern hemisphere) indicate a waning crescent. Note that the directions the horns point relative to the observer are reversed in the Southern hemisphere.

The flag of Turkey was adopted in 1844. The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a Star on a Red background Its geometric proportions were standardized in 1936.

The crescent and star, while generally regarded as Islamic symbols today, have long been used in Asia Minor and by the ancient Turks, earlier than the advent of Islam. The Islamic star and crescent is a Symbol consisting of a Crescent with a star at the concave side Islamic symbols are non-textual and non-verbal visual Symbols that have been used or are used to express identification with Islam or a particular tradition within Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. According to archaeological excavations, Göktürks used the crescent and star figure on their coins. Göktürks ( Turkish: Gök Türkler) were a Turkic people of ancient Central Asia. The 1500-year-old coin includes three crescent moon figures and a star near a person.

The crescent was the symbol of the Sassanian Empire of Persia (Iran) and is prominently displayed on the crowns of its rulers^[1]. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire After the Arab conquest of that empire in 651 CE, it was gradually adopted by later caliphates and Muslim rulers as an established and recognized symbol of power in Western Asia. It was also a symbol of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Though the crescent was originally a secular symbol of authority for Muslim rulers, it is now often used to symbolize the Islamic faith. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. However, it should be noted that the crescent was not a symbol used for Islam by Muhammad or any other early Muslim rulers, as the Islamic religion is, in fact, against appointing "Holy Symbols" (so that during the early centuries of Islam, Muslim authorities simply didn't want any geometric symbols to be used to symbolize Islam, in the way that the cross symbolizes Christianity, the menorah was a commonly-occurring symbol of Judaism, etc. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other dividing one or two of the lines in half Pekiin tabletjpg|thumb|right|151px| Second Temple period stone tablet from a Synagogue in Peki'in, Israel. ). This is why early Islamic coins were covered with Arabic writing, but contained no visual symbols.

Despite this mixed history, many Islamic nations and charities use the crescent symbol on their flags or logos (e. g. Pakistan, The Red Crescent, etc. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an International humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide who stated — though currently none of the Arab states in Arabia or the Mashreq have crescents on their flags). The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) This article is about the Mashriq region For other uses see Mashriq (disambiguation The Mashriq or Mashreq (also in use Mashrek Therefore it could be argued that this usage is meant to signify Islamic identity or Muslim brotherhood.

The flag of Pakistan

Many Christian fundamentalists such as Jack Chick use this symbolism to make a claim that Allah was in fact Hubal who was, in turn, a moon-god worshipped by the pre-Islamic Arabs. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and Jack Thomas Chick (born April 13, 1924) is an American Publisher, writer and comic book artist, and has been called the most published Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' "Hubal" was also the pseudonym of Henryk Dobrzanski, a Polish partisan from World War II Hubal (هبل This argument is sometimes used to argue that the god of Islam is different from that of the Jews or Christians. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Leliwa. Polish noble coat of arms with crescent as a heraldic symbol. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland A coat of arms or armorial bearings (often just arms for short in European tradition is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people

The crescent as a neo-pagan symbol of the Triple Goddess. In ancient Indo-European mythologies various Goddesses or demi-goddesses appear as a triad, either as three separate beings

Note that in the case of an astronomical crescent, such as the moon observed in the sky, the outer arc will be 180° (a half-circle as previously mentioned), while the Islamic crescent symbol (Arabic هلال hilāl) is generally shown with an outer arc significantly greater than 180° (as seen in the illustrations above).

The crescent moon is also a symbol associated with the Hindu's iconography: with the deity Shiva, who wears it at the top of his matted hair. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Deva (देव in Devanagari script pronounced as /'d̪evə/ is the Sanskrit word for "god Deity " Shiva:(pronunciation; Sanskrit: शिव Śiva, lit "Auspicious one" One of the Trimurtis Shiva is the supreme God in the Shaiva

The crescent is also used as a heraldic symbol. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. However, this usage is not affiliated in any way with Islam. The roots of the Slavic crescent can be traced to the old Slavic pagan beliefs. Slavic mythology is the Mythological aspect of the Religion that was practised by the ancient Slavs. In English and Canadian heraldry a crescent is the cadence mark of a second son. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. In Heraldry, cadency is any systematic way of distinguishing similar coats of arms belonging to members of the same Family.

The crescent symbol is also used to represent the moon in astronomy and astrology, and to represent silver (the metal associated with the moon) in alchemy, where, by inference, it can also be used to represent qualities that silver possesses. Astronomical symbols are symbols used to represent various Celestial objects theoretical constructs and observational events in Astronomy. Alchemy in the Western World and other locations where it was widely practiced was (and in many cases still is allied and intertwined with traditional Babylonian-Greek (Alchemy and Symbols, By M. E. Glidewell, Epsilon. )

See also

• Gallery of flags with crescents
• Star and crescent
• Crescent Sailboat
• Coat of Arms of Croatia
• Lunar phase
• Flight 93 National Memorial's proposed Crescent of Embrace (controversial design proposal)
• The word Crescent appears in the name of some places, such as Crescent City, California
• New Orleans is nicknamed The Crescent City, and a crescent, or crescent and star, is used to represent the city officially. This is a gallery of Flags which use the Crescent as a feature of their design The Islamic star and crescent is a Symbol consisting of a Crescent with a star at the concave side The Crescent Sailboat was built exclusively in Detroit, Michigan from 1953 to 1974 The Coat of arms of Croatia consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield Lunar phase (or Moon phase refers to the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer usually on Earth Flight 93 National Memorial protects the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 Crescent City is the only incorporated city of Del Norte County California and serves as the County seat. New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The origin is the crescent shape of the old city, hugging the East Bank of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is the second longest River in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to The historical crescent, which includes the French Quarter and was one of the few places where settlement was possible before the construction of the levee system, did not flood during Hurricane Katrina. The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in the city of New Orleans Louisiana. Dike (constructionEmbankmentA levee, levée, dike (or dyke) embankment, floodbank or stopbank is a natural or artificial Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States The choice of the star and crescent symbol is a relic of the krewes, many of which adopted "Oriental" costume and rituals, like other societies of the 19th century. A Krewe (pronounced in the same way as "crew" is an organization that puts on a Parade and or a ball for the Carnival season The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar
• Also the name of the Hawaiian city Hilo means crescent. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Hilo (ˈhiːlo is a coastal town in the State of Hawai{{okina}}i.
• DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation logos

Notes

External links

• The origin of the Islamic crescent
• MathWorld article on geometric "Lune"
• Worldwide Moon Sighting Reports
• The Crescent Shines for All, Not Just Muslims