The blue represents the integrity, and the excellence of the thoughts of the Bashkir people, and the white stands for their peacefulness, and their willingness to cooperate, and the green for freedom, and eternal life.

The first national flag of Bashkortostan was designed by a Bashkir statesman, Akhmetzaki Akhmetshahovich Validov (1890–1970).

The flag consisted of three horizontal stripes of equal size, which is blue, green and white.

[11][12] After the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Bashkir SSR on October 11, 1990, the communist symbols of the republic ceased to reflect the current situations of Bashkortostan and the need to adopt new state symbols arose, including the new flag.

[14] To address this need, by the Decree Number 211 of 26 November 1990, the Council of Ministers of the Bashkir SSR declared a countrywide competition for the best draft of state symbols of the republic which was to be submitted prior to 15 February 1991.

Later, the Order of the Council of Ministers of the Bashkir SSR of December 30, 1990, approved the Regulations on the procedure for holding a competition, which extended the deadline for presenting sketches of the flag and coat of arms by March 1, 1991.

The sketches were to be made in color on a thick paper with a minimum size of 30 × 20 cm.

The sketches were to be attached with a note indicating the dimensions and a detailed explanation of the meaning of the symbols.

The kurai flower was designed by Nil Khabibullin in the 1960s as a television screensaver for the Day of Bashkir Culture in Leningrad.