Djibouti

Map

 

Leader

 

Ismael Omar Guelleh, known in Djibouti by his initials, IOG, won a second term in a one-man presidential race in 2005 and a third term in April 2011.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

Djiboutian tourist visa is issued for a limited time of leisure travel and no business activities allowed.

Fully completed visa application form for Djibouti and statutary declaration

Passport size photographs

Valid national passport and one copy

Original of valid visa if you are national of another country and one copy

Your latest bank statement and one copy

Confirmation letter from your travel health insurance stating the coverage and one copy

Reference letter from your employer or education establishment

Proof of group travel/ hotel reservation in Djibouti / airline ticket reservation for Djibouti and one copy

Visa fees for Djiboutian visa

• Best period

The climate in Djibouti, a desert country, remains hot and arid year-round. Temperatures are especially high in the summer months, so we recommend visiting between October and April.

• Safety

Djibouti is generally safe for foreign visitors and enjoys a stable political climate, yet the unstable situations in some of its neighbor states are reminders that tourists must remain cautious. Check the U.S. Department of State’s consular website for travel warnings in Djibouti before planning your trip.

History

 Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Somalia to the southeast, Eritrea and the Red Sea to the northwest, Ethiopia to the west and south, and the Gulf of Aden and Yemen to the northeast.

In antiquity, the territory was part of the Land of Punt. The Djibouti area, along with other localities in the Horn region, was later the seat of the medieval Adal and Ifat Sultanates. In the late 19th century, the colony of French Somaliland was established following treaties signed by the ruling Issa Somali and Afar Sultans with the French. It was subsequently renamed to the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967. A decade later, the Djiboutian people voted for independence, officially marking the establishment of the Republic of Djibouti.

Arts & Culture

• Music:

Djibouti is a multiethnic country. The two largest ethnic groups are the Somali and the Afar. There are also a number of Arab, Ethiopian and European (French and Italian) residents. Traditional Afar music resembles the folk music of other parts of the Horn of Africa such as Ethiopia; it also contains elements of Arabic music. The history of Djibouti is recorded in the poetry and songs of its nomadic people, and goes back thousands of years to a time when the peoples of Djibouti traded hides and skins for the perfumes and spices of ancient Egypt, India and China. Afar oral literature is also quite musical. It comes in many varieties, including songs for weddings, war, praise and boasting.[1]

The national anthem of Djibouti is "Djibouti", adopted in 1977 with words by Aden Elmi and music by Abdi Robleh.

• Literature:

The literature of Djibouti has a longstanding poetic tradition. Several well-developed Somali forms of verse include the gabay, jiifto, geeraar, wiglo, buraanbur, beercade, afarey and guuraw. The gabay (epic poem) has the most complex length and meter, often exceeding 100 lines. It is considered the mark of poetic attainment when a young poet is able to compose such verse, and is considered the height of poetry. Groups of memorizers and reciters (hafidayaal) traditionally propagated the well-developed art form. Poems revolve around several main themes, including baroorodiiq (elegy), amaan (praise), jacayl (romance), guhaadin (diatribe), digasho (gloating) and guubaabo (guidance). The baroorodiiq is composed to commemorate the death of a prominent poet or figure. The Afar are familiar with the ginnili, a kind of warrior-poet and diviner, and have a rich oral tradition of folk stories. They also have an extensive repertoire of battle songs. Additionally, Djibouti has a long tradition of Islamic literature. Among the most prominent such historical works is the medieval Futuh Al-Habash by Shihāb al-Dīn, which chronicles the Adal Sultanate army's conquest of Abyssinia during the 16th century.[3] In recent years, a number of politicians and intellectuals have also penned memoirs or reflections on the country.

• Film industry:

Djibouti has hardly any cinematic history. The only reference of a Djiboutan movie is "Le Grand Moussa" a 1984 feature by Ahmed Dini. Djibouti has been used for location purposes, like in Beau Travail (1998) by the French Clair Denis. This empoverished country has been in civil wars since independence with little hope for anything of a cinematic program in the future. Some references are made to films made by international and African organizations trying to counteract, by showing informational movies, the horrors of female mutilations, which is still practice in this dark part of Africa.

• Famous places:

Surrounded by dormant volcanoes and lava fields, Lake Assal, 100km (60 miles) to the southwest of Djibouti city, is one of the lowest surface areas anywhere on the planet (150m/570 ft below sea level); and is reachable only by 4-wheel drive vehicle. It is possible to windsurf on wheels in the desert areas.

Also worth seeing in Djibouti is the Tropical Aquarium with underwater exhibits from the Red Sea (open daily 1600-1830), and the Presidential Palace.

 

• Architecture history:

Djibouti has no tradition of urban architecture. The indigenous architecture of earlier centuries is found in the capitals of the sultanates of Raheita and Tadjoura, with their old mosques and town centers. Djibouti City was designed by French town planners with a grid street plan and government institutions placed close to each other in the center. The town grew fast, with new neighborhoods added in a less planned fashion. There is a camel market on the outskirts.

In the urban culture, traditional social and cultural features of the indigenous populations tend to fuse and create new forms. In the countryside, the herders' seasonal migrations and transborder crossings of Afar, Issa, and Gadabursi pastoralists show the mobility and free use of space necessary for the survival of humans and herds. These people have huts and furniture that can be easily packed and moved.