Since 2011,

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

currently does not have an official

national emblem A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag. Other national symbols, such as national ...

. The Constitutional Declaration issued by the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council (NTC) was a transitional government established in the 2011 Libyan civil war. After rebel forces overthrew the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya of Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the NTC governed Libya for a further ...

in August 2011 defines the flag of Libya, but does not make any provisions for a coat of arms. A new

biometric Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics and features. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used t ...

Libyan passport was revealed in February 2013. The cover of the new passport depicts a

star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...

as its central feature, as found in the flag of Libya. Thus, the symbol can be considered a ''de facto'' emblem for Libya. The Government of National Unity, established in March 2021 has adopted an official seal incorporating a crescent moon and star and the name of the state and government in Arabic.

History

Pre-independence

File:Coat of arms of the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt.svg, Cyrenaica under

Mamluk Sultanate The Mamluk Sultanate (), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire, was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant and the Hejaz from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries, with Cairo as its capital. It was ruled by a military caste of mamluks ...

(1260–1517) File:Coat of Arms of Ferdinand II of Aragon with supporters (1513-1516).svg, Tripoli under Spanish Rule (1510–1516) File:Greater Coat of Arms of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I as King of Spain.svg, Tripoli under Spanish Rule (1516–1530) File:Coat of arms of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.svg, Tripoli under The Knights Hospitaller (1530–1551) File:Coat of Arms of the Ottoman Empire (1846-1882).svg,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(1846–1882) File:Coat of arms of the Wāli of Egypt.svg, Cyrenaica and Kufra under

Egypt Eyalet Ottoman Egypt was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire after the Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517), conquest of Mamluk Egypt by the Ottomans in 1517. The Ottomans administered Egypt as a Eyalet, province (''eyalet'') of their empir ...

(1854–1867) File:Lesser coat of arms of Ottoman Tripolitania.svg,

Ottoman Tripolitania Ottoman Tripolitania, also known as the Regency of Tripoli, was officially ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1912. It corresponded roughly to the northern parts of modern-day Libya in historic Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. It was initially ...

(1864–1911) File:Coat of arms of the Khedive of Egypt.svg, Cyrenaica and Kufra under The

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...

(1867–1914) File:Coat of arms of the Ottoman Empire (1882–1922).svg, Ottoman Empire (1882–1911) File:Official Arabic seal of the Governor General of Algeria.png,

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

(1900–1919) File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1890).svg,

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

(1911–1929) File:Tripolitana COA.svg, Italian Tripolitania (1911–1934) File:Cyrenaica COA.svg, Italian Cyrenaica (1911–1934) File:Coat of Arms of the Sultan of Egypt.svg, Cyrenaica and Kufra under The Sultanate of Egypt (1914–1922) File:Coat of arms of Egypt (1922–1953).svg, Kufra ( Sarra Triangle) under The

Kingdom of Egypt The Kingdom of Egypt () was the legal form of the Egyptian state during the latter period of the Muhammad Ali dynasty's reign, from the United Kingdom's recognition of Egyptian independence in 1922 until the abolition of the monarchy of Eg ...

(1922–1934) File:Emblem of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.svg, Kufra (Sarra Triangle) under The

Anglo-Egyptian Sudan Anglo-Egyptian Sudan ( ') was a condominium (international law), condominium of the United Kingdom and Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt between 1899 and 1956, corresponding mostly to the territory of present-day South Sudan and Sudan. Legally, sovereig ...

(1922–1934) File:Greater coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy (1929-1944).svg, Kingdom of Italy (1929–1943) File:Coat of arms of Libya (1940–1943).svg,

Italian Libya Libya (; ) was a colony of Fascist Italy (1922–1943), Italy located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and 1943. It was formed from the unification of the colonies of Italian Cyrenaica, Cyrenaica and Italian Tripolitan ...

(1940–1943) File:Emblem of Free France (1940-1944) Cross of Lorraine.svg,

Free France Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

( Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory) (1943–1944) File:Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (1837-1952).svg,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

( British Military Administration of Libya) (1943–1951) File:Emblem of the Provisional Government of the French Republic.svg,

Provisional Government of the French Republic The Provisional Government of the French Republic (PGFR; , GPRF) was the provisional government of Free France between 3 June 1944 and 27 October 1946, following the liberation of continental France after Operations ''Overlord'' and ''Drago ...

(Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory) (1944–1946) File:Middle coat of arms of the French Republic (1905–1953).svg,

French Fourth Republic The French Fourth Republic () was the republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution of 13 October 1946. Essentially a reestablishment and continuation of the French Third R ...

(Fezzan-Ghadames Military Territory) (1946–1951)

Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969)

The coat of arms of the

Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya (; ), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 Sept ...

was used from 1952 to 1969. A royal decree from 1952 described the coat of arms of the United Kingdom of Libya as follows: The emblem of the United Kingdom of Libya would be a silver crescent and star, resting on a background of black surrounded by a green frame; all crested with a small golden crown, standing on a black base; all in the centre of a red mantle and surrounded by 9 (nine) golden stars, the mantle decorated with golden ornaments; all crested with a crown of a golden diadem with five hoops set with stars and bearing the crescent and star. File:Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Libya.svg, Royal arms of the Kingdom of Libya 1952–1969

Libya under Gaddafi (1969–2011)

In 1970, Libya adopted as its coat of arms the Eagle of Saladin, which had become a symbol of Arab nationalism following its prominence in the

Egyptian revolution of 1952 The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...

, after which it was used in the coat of arms of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

, the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. It was initially a short-lived political union between Republic of Egypt (1953–1958), Egypt (including Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Ara ...

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, and

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. In 1972, Libya's participation in the Federation of Arab Republics led both it and Egypt to abandon the Eagle of Saladin, and to adopt as their coats of arms the Hawk of Quraish, the emblem of the tribe of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

used by

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, which became the coat of arms of the Federation. On Libya's exit from the Federation in 1977 followed by its adaption of Gaddafi's system of Jamahiriya, the Hawk of the Quraish was retained, but modified to reflect the new all green flag that Libya also adopted at that time. The hawk was also changed to face in the other direction. File:Coat_of_arms_of_Libya-1970.svg,

Libyan Arab Republic Muammar Gaddafi became the '' de facto'' leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. When Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment, the Revolutio ...

(1969–1972) File:Coat of arms of Libya (1972–1977).svg,

within the Federation of Arab Republics (1972–1977) File:Coat of arms of Libya (1977-2011).svg,

Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Muammar Gaddafi became the '' de facto'' leader of Libya on 1 September 1969 after leading a group of young Libyan Army officers against King Idris I in a bloodless coup d'état. When Idris was in Turkey for medical treatment, the Revolutio ...

(1977–2011)

Libya under the National Transitional Council (2011–2012)

The

, supported as the legitimate administration by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

since September 2011, used a seal that depicts a crescent moon and star, represented in the colors of the Libyan flag (red, black, and green), with the names of the council ('The Transitional National Council') and of the state ('Libya') displayed in Arabic and English. The interim

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

's office and

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the interim government used a different seal. The main charge of this emblem is an outline map of Libya in the design of the Libyan flag. File:Seal of the National Transitional Council (Libya, early version).svg, First seal of the National Transitional Council (March–April 2011) File:Seal of the National Transitional Council (Libya).svg, Second seal of the National Transitional Council

Libya under the General National Congress (2012–2014)

The

General National Congress The General National Congress or General National Council (GNC; ) was the Legislature, legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It was elected by popular vote on 7 July 2012, and took power f ...

which served as the legislature of Libya between 2012 and 2014 had adopted which depicted a crescent moon and star surrounded by the name of the congress written in Arabic and English. It was used to certify documents issued and laws passed by the congress. An emblem was also adopted for governmental purposes and formed the basis of the seals used by the

's office and the

of the Libyan government. This emblem consisted of a crescent moon and star surrounded by olive branches similar to those found on the emblem of the United Nations. File:Seal of the General National Congress of Libya.png, Seal used by the General National Congress (2012–2014) File:Seal of the Prime Minister of Libya.jpg, Seal of the prime minister of Libya File:Libya PM logo.png, Emblem from the centre of government seals

Libya under the House of Representatives (2014–2016)

The

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

elected in 2014 and currently based in

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

has adopted a seal for official use. This depicts a crescent moon, arches and the name House of Representatives in English and Arabic. The seals and emblems adopted for the Libyan Government during the term of the General National Congress, remained in use during this period. File:Libyan House of Representatives logo.png, Seal used by the House of Representatives File:Seal of the Prime Minister of Libya.jpg, Seal of the prime minister of Libya File:Libya PM logo.png, Emblem from the centre of government seals

Libya under the Government of National Accord (2016–2021)

The

Government of National Accord The Government of National Accord (GNA; ) was an interim government for Libya that was formed under the terms of the Libyan Political Agreement, a United Nations–led initiative, signed on 17 December 2015. The agreement was unanimously endors ...

was formed as a result of the

Libyan Political Agreement The Libyan House of Representatives (HoR; ) is the legislature of Libya resulting from the 2014 Libyan parliamentary election, which had an 18% turnout. On 4 August 2014, in the course of the progressing August 2014 Islamist coup in the capital ...

signed in December 2015 and has been endorsed by the

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

as the sole legitimate government of Libya. The Government of National Accord uses a seal depicting its name and the name of the state in Arabic and English surrounding a crescent moon and star. Government of National Accord Seal.jpg, Emblem of the Government of National Accord

Symbols of the rival Tobruk-based Government (2016–2021)

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Tobruk-based Government was formed in

under actual guidance of the

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Khalifa Haftar Khalifa Haftar (; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA). In 2015, he was appointed commander of the armed forces loyal to the 2014 Libyan parliam ...

, and used an emblem depicting the Hawk of Quraish and a shield. File:Libyan House of Representatives logo.png, Seal used by the House of Representatives File:Libyan COA used by Haftar.png, Emblem used by the Tobruk-based government

Libya under the Government of National Unity (2021–present)

A Government of National Unity was formed in March 2021 following on from meetings of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum. The unity government has adopted an official seal incorporating a crescent moon and star and surrounded by the words ('Government of National Unity – State of Libya'). The seal was designed by Adly al-Akkari. Seal of the Government of National Unity (Libya).svg, Seal of the Government of National Unity

Symbol of the rival Government of National Stability (2022–present)

Government of National Stability The Government of National Stability () is a rival government that controls eastern Libya. It was formed on 3 March 2022, is led by Osama Hamada and supported by the House of Representatives and the Libyan National Army. Since its inception, th ...

was established in

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

and is supported by the

and the

Libyan National Army The Libyan National Army (LNA; , ''al-jaysh al-waṭaniyy al-Lībii''), also known as the Libyan Arab Army (LAA; , ''al-Jaysh al-'Arabiyy al-Lībii'') or the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF; ), is a component of Libyan Armed Forces, Libya's mil ...

. The GNS has claimed power over Libya in competition with the GNU. File:Logo of the Government of National Stability.png, Logo of the Government of National Stability

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Libya National symbols of Libya