Probably, the crescent with a star is the most recognizable symbol of Islam. Similar to the Christian cross, the crescent is placed on the roofs of mosques, tombstones, or worn on a chain around the neck. What does it mean and how did it appear?
Miracles are just around
Actually, according to Muslim ideologists, Islam has no religious symbol. The crescent is regarded as an ancient pagan sign and has no profound sacred meaning.
Considering that Islam appeared in 610, the crescent emerged only in the second half of the 15th century. And it seems that the symbol has only one purpose — to visually distinguish Muslim mosques from Christian churches and ordinary buildings.
But why was it the crescent that they associated with religion? There are two theories for the appearance of this symbol.
Patron of Byzantium
According to the widespread version, the Muslims borrowed the crescent from the conquered Constantinople.
In the time of the Ancient Greece, every ancient Greek city or settlement had its own pagan patron. Artemis was the patron of the city of Byzantium. The goddess was identified with the moon and was depicted with a crescent over her head and a torch in her hands. It was believed that at her will the pitch-dark night becomes brighter.
According to ancient Greek legend, once Byzantium was besieged by the Macedonians. They launched a surprise night attack, but the moon that came out in the sky illuminated the field in front of the city and betrayed the intentions of the attackers. The citizens fought off the attack and made Artemis their patroness. When paganism gave way to Christianity, the crescent was adapted to the new religion and was made the symbol of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ.
After Constantinople was captured by the Turks, Sultan Mehmed II had a dream that a crescent illuminated his empire. Inspired by the dream, the sovereign made the Greek symbol the symbol of his state. And you could see the crescent not only on mosques, but also on the roofs of administrative buildings, on military banners, etc.
Considering that the Ottoman Empire was the strongest state of the Muslim world and set the tone for the development of the whole Arabic East, they began to associate the crescent with Islam.
Symbol of royal power
According to Soviet scientists, the crescent was not a religious, but a dynastic sign symbolizing this or that ruling dynasty.
With that, the roots of the sign go back to the II century A.D. Then the crescent was used by the rulers of the Sasanian (Persian) empire. They began to associate the moon with power. Later, with the adoption of Islam, they began to use the crescent as the symbol of the power of the Arab Caliphate, and after its collapse, every more or less strong shah adapted the symbol for himself.
The crescent was minted on coins, painted on gates, placed on mosques and other buildings. It was similar to the Russian two-headed eagle. The Ottomans, who established their rule in the Caliphate, decided to adopt the symbol for themselves. Over time, the state symbol became a religious one.
Be that as it may, the Turks brought the crescent into Islam. You can’t consider is as an analogue of the Christian cross. Muslims do not deify the symbol considering the chains with a crescent to be a simple decoration. And it is strictly forbidden to consider the symbol as a talisman in Islam.
At different mosques, the shape of the crescent is different, and on some of them, the domes are at all crowned with the full moon.
