Fan-Made Flag of Bilalistan

"Townsmen!" a freedman cried. "They're back. They're back!"

Like centaurs emerging from a primeval glade, a line of horsemen trotted in out of the fog. One of the wall guards ran across the village, stumbling across a sleeping dog. He found Aidan's hut, and rapped plaintively at the door.

After a moment, Aidan answered, yawning and cinching up his pants.

"An attack?"

"Horsemen, sir."

Sophia appeared behind him, belting a gown around her waist. "Soldiers?"

"We'll see," said Aidan. He pulled a shirt on and grabbed his rifle. He sprinted for the wall in a loose-hipped gait that belied his anxiety.

The Irishman vaulted up the wall, and then peered out. At first his expression was one of concern, but then he began to grin.

"Sir? Sir?" asked a freedman.

"Open the gates."

Donough jerked his head around in shock. "What? More townsmen?"

"Not with horses like those. These are highborn, and... God above, the banner! See the banner? Dar Kush!"

The flag of Bilalistan was a crescent moon and lion upon a field of red: that of Dar Kush consisted of these two images, plus that of nasab asad, the ancestral fighting knife passed down for generations in the Wakil's family.

-Zulu Heart, page 153-154. Warner Books Hardcover edition

Here is an image that I created for the flag of Bilalistan, based on how it is described in the book. The template I used was the flag of the Soviet Union. The moon and lion images are from Josh Berer's Arabic Calligraphy Design. The text at the bottom of the flag is Arabic for the phrase, "United Provinces of Bilal's Country" and it is a personal addition that I thought looked aesthetically pleasing.