Libya Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Libya appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 26 different states, among them Libya, Ottoman Empire, Libya (IT), Mamluk Sultanate, Fatimid Caliphate.
LibyaExplore the history of Libya in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Libya as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Libya, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Libya?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Libya belonged to Libya, Ottoman Empire, Libya (IT), Mamluk Sultanate, Fatimid Caliphate, Saharan Nomadic Tribes, along with 20 other states.
What was Libya part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Libya lay within Fatimid Caliphate.
What was Libya part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Libya lay within Mamluk Sultanate.
What was Libya part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Libya lay within Ottoman Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.