Depicts the national arms within the wreath, country name in French above, metal, purity, weight and denomination below with images of prehistoric people carving rock art and painting cave paintings, inscription below.

Djibouti adopted its national emblem upon gaining independence from France on June 27, 1977. The emblem features laurel branches on the sides and encloses a vertical spear with a shield in front. Below the shield, two hands holding large machetes represent the nation's main ethnic groups, the Afar and the Issa. At the top of the spear is a red star, symbolizing unity between the Issa and Afar peoples.

Prehistoric art was produced by ancient civilizations until they developed writing or other methods of record keeping. This means prehistoric art, can be younger in some parts of the world than in others. The oldest art, engraved shells, dates up to half a million years ago. Earliest rock art and drawings in general date to 40000-75000 years ago with some pieces as old as 40000 years.

Depicting "The Zoo," a notable rock formation within the Abourma Rock Art site, surrounded by other rocks in the background, with an inscription below and date on the right.

The Abourma Rock Art site spans a vast 3-kilometer area on the Makarrassou Massif in northern Djibouti, featuring hundreds of ancient carvings that offer insights into the society of the time. These carvings depict various aspects of social class, interactions with nature, and hunting practices. Among the carvings are depictions of wild animals such as elephants, giraffes, hippos, and rhinos, as well as domesticated animals. The site was rediscovered in 2008 by a French archaeologist after a chance encounter with a local waiter who mentioned similar carvings nearby. Since then, efforts have been made to preserve and study the site, with plans for it to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Access to the site requires a trek of approximately 2 hours following the construction of a road in 2014, but it still takes a total of 6 hours to reach from Djibouti city.