Since 2011,

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

currently does not have an official coat of arms. The Constitutional Declaration issued by the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...

on August 2011 defines the

flag of Libya The national flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three regi ...

, but does not make any provisions for a coat of arms. A new

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

Libyan passport The Libyan passport is issued to citizens of Libya for international travel. History The Libyan passport design has been changed at least 5 or 6 times. The passport was most recently redesigned in 2014, following the killing of Muammar Gaddafi ...

was revealed in February 2013. The cover of the new passport depicts a star and crescent as its central feature, as found in the

. Thus, the symbol can be considered a ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' emblem for Libya. The

Government of National Unity A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other nati ...

, 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:Lesser coat of arms of Ottoman Tripolitania.svg,

Ottoman Tripolitania The coastal region of what is today Libya was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1551 to 1912. First, from 1551 to 1864, as the Eyalet of Tripolitania ( ota, ایالت طرابلس غرب ''Eyālet-i Trâblus Gârb'') or ''Bey and Subjects of Tri ...

File:Tripolitana COA.svg,

Italian Tripolitania Italian Tripolitania was an Italian colony, located in present-day western Libya, that existed from 1911 to 1934. It was part of the territory conquered from the Ottoman Empire after the Italo-Turkish War in 1911. Italian Tripolitania included th ...

(1911–1934) File:Cyrenaica COA.svg,

Italian Cyrenaica Italian Cyrenaica (; ) was an Italian colony, located in present-day eastern Libya, that existed from 1911 to 1934. It was part of the territory conquered from the Ottoman Empire during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911, alongside Italian Tripolita ...

(1911–1934) File:Coat of arms of Libya (1940–1943).svg,

Italian Libya Libya ( it, Libia; ar, ليبيا, Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of the Fascist 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 ...

(1940–1943)

Kingdom of Libya (1951–1969)

The coat of arms of the

Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya ( ar, المملكة الليبية, lit=Libyan Kingdom, translit=Al-Mamlakah Al-Lībiyya; it, Regno di Libia), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa which ca ...

was used from 1952–1969. 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 The Eagle of Saladin ( ar, نسر صلاح الدين, known in Egypt as the Egyptian Eagle ( ar, النسر المصري ), and the Republican Eagle ( ), is a heraldic eagle that serves as the coat of arms of many countries; coat of arms of Eg ...

, which had become a symbol of Arab nationalism following its prominence in the Egyptian revolution of 1952, after which it was used in the coat of arms of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ar, الجمهورية العربية المتحدة, al-Jumhūrīyah al-'Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1971. It was initially a political union between Eg ...

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, and

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. In 1972, Libya's participation in the

Federation of Arab Republics The Federation of Arab Republics (FAR; ar, اتحاد الجمهوريات العربية, , ) was an unsuccessful attempt by Muammar Gaddafi to merge Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Libya, Egypt and Syria in order to create a Arab Union, unified Ar ...

led both it and Egypt to abandon the Eagle of Saladin, and to adopt as their coats of arms the

Hawk of Quraish The Hawk of Quraish ( ar, صَقْرُ قُرَيْشٍ, ṣāqr Quraysh) is a symbol which is found on a number of emblems, coats of arms and flags of several states of the Arab League. The Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula, today especially those fro ...

, the emblem of the tribe of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

used by

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, 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 Third International Theory () was the style of government proposed by Muammar Gaddafi in the early 1970s, on which his government, the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, was officially based. It was partly inspired by Islami ...

, 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. The phrase (''ittiħād al-jumhūriyyāt al-`arabiyya'' "Federation (literally Union) of Arab Republics") still remained written on the banner clutched in the feet of the hawk. 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. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Comman ...

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

within the

(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. After the king had fled the country, the Revolutionary Comman ...

(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 an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

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 (''al-majlis al-waṭanī al-intiqālī'', "The Transitional National Council") and of the state (''Lībiyā'', Libya) displayed in Arabic and English. The interim

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier 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. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

's office and departments 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 The national flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three reg ...

. 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; ar, المؤتمر الوطني العام, Berber: Agraw Amuran Amatay) was the legislative authority of Libya for two years following the end of the First Libyan Civil War. It w ...

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 departments 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 entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

elected in 2014 and currently based in

Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near th ...

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 ( ar, حكومة الوفاق الوطني) 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. Th ...

was formed as a result of the Libyan Political Agreement 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, and ...

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)

A rival 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, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

Khalifa Haftar Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar ( ar, خليفة بلقاسم حفتر, Ḵalīfa Bilqāsim Ḥaftar; born 7 November 1943) is a Libyan-American politician, military officer, and the commander of the Tobruk-based Libyan National Army (LNA) ...

, and used an emblem depicting the

and a shield. File:Libyan House of Representatives logo.png, Seal used by the House of Representatives File:Coat of arms of Libya Tobruk Government.svg, Emblem used by the Tobruk-based government

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

was formed in March 2021 following on from meetings of the

Libyan Political Dialogue Forum The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) is an intra-Libyan political body involved in series of meetings started in late 2020, initially aiming to lead to 2021 Libyan general election, Libyan elections, Libyan peace process and "democractic le ...

. The unity government has adopted an official seal incorporating a crescent moon and star and surrounded by the words ar, حكومة الوحدة الوطنية - دولة ليبيا "Government of National Unity - State of Libya".https://www.facebook.com/NUGlibya/photos/a.113957716765136/273554660805440/ The seal was designed by Adly al-Akkari. Seal of the Government of National Unity (Libya).svg, Seal of the Government of National Unity

Notes

References

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