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The arrival of the Italians in 1911 was the beginning of a new chapter in the life of Tripoli. Although their rule was to last only 30 years, they left an indelible mark on the look of the city, no more so than in the "Villa Moderna", the area to the east of the medina wall and the castle. Starting at Green Square this area links the old medina and the sprawling mass of post-war Tripoli. Constructed by the Italians, mostly during the 1930s it has a decidely Italianate feel with its arcarded streets (photo 1) and shuttered white stucco buildings. Algeria Square's public buildings are a real mix - the gleaming marble facade of the Grand Mosque and the grandiose Post Office offset by the soaring arches of the portico of the IPNS building (photo 2). The splendidly decrepit wedding cake that is the Galleria de Bono (photo 3)off Shari'a September 1st would look completely at home in Milan.
Down in the medina, elaborately wrought arched iron grilles over doors (photo 4) add an Italian touch, and some houses sport balconies (photo 5) and frontages that would not look out of place in Naples.
It's a shame that so much of this architecture is in a parlous state but there are signs that change is afoot in Tripoli and just as there is are many efforts being made to address the city's awful litter problem and restore life to the derelict parts of the medina, there are signs that the rot may not be terminal. Leave a Comment
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Tripoli's National Jamahiriya Museum houses the best collection of classical art in North Africa. There are nearly fifty galleries, covering an area of 10,000 sq metres, spread over four levels. Exhibits range from prehistoric axes to Colonel Gadaffi's VW Beetle. The main emphasis, however, is on sculptures and mosaics from the classical Roman and Greek eras. There are also scale models of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, which are interesting if you are planning to visit those places. Most of the exhibits are labelled in Arabic only though.
Open Tues-Sun 9am-1pm, 3pm-6pm. Admission 3 LD + 5LD for camera. Leave a Comment Directions: The museum is housed in the Red Castle. The entrance is on the north-western corner of Green Square.
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I travel since . . . . . oh my god, I am getting old, but I never get bored of looking at the small shops in the souks, bazaars, markets, . . . The Medina of Tripoli is very alive after 6 pm and I liked to walk in the small crowded streets before going somewhere for dinner.
There are a few tourist shops near the South Western entrance (from Assaha al Khaddra), and in the heart of the Medina, is the real life, with fruits, vegetables, spices, clothes, appliances, etc, etc. Address: Medina
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The colonialists of course needed to feel at home and one of the first things they did was to build a church in the Medina! The Santa Maria church has been renovated recently, but not for worshippers! You can visit it free, but inside you will not find a lot of religious artefacts; it has been transformed in a sort of a meeting hall! a small mosaic has been kept. Anyway, like in many religious monuments, I feel peace, I like to stay there for a while and just try to feel the atmosphere.
Picture 1 shows the campanile with the façade picture 2 a general view (not easy from the narrow streets), picture 3 displays a small mosaic and painting preserved inside and picture 4 a general view of the inside. Address: Medina, North
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Although it is a fair way out of Tripoli, Gharyan can be visited in a day and it is almost always included in tourist itineraries so it's hardly "Off the Beaten Track" - hence its inclusion here as "Thing to do" in Tripoli.
Two things bring people to Gharyan - the troglodyte houses, known as dammous, and pottery - vast quantities of which are laid out along the roadside on the Tripoli side of the town in open-fronted shops. Both are worth the trip out of the city.
The dammous were the ingenious solution to the problems posed by both the ferocious heat of a Libyan summer (though Gharyan's elevated situation does help to alleviate that a little) and the frequent raids from opposing tribes. Dug down deep into the ground (photo 1), with rooms opening off a central courtyard some three storeys below ground level, all that showed at the top was a low doorway in a small mound. This leads into a narrow tunnel with stairs descending through the earth to come out at the bottom into a courtyard shaded by the high straight walls all around. Suirprisingly spacious bedrooms (photo 2), kitchen, living rooms and storage areas all opened off the central court (photos 3 and 4).
No-one actullay lives in the dammous these days, though some do offer tourists the opportunity to spend a night in one. I must say, the accommodation did look somewhat less than inviting, though whiling away an hour over glasses of mint tea and chat wasn't hard to do.
Gharyan pottery (photo 5) is famous throughout Libya. The stalls on the way out of town are hard to resist. Even if, like me, you like to travel light and pass on the bigger pieces, there are plenty of charming smaller items, little bowls in all sorts of shapes - ideal for a few olives or some bread-dunking olive oil - and miniature versions of the big lidded pots that make perfect sugar bowls or such. Leave a Comment Directions: There are 5 or 6 houses in the town. Your driver will probably have one in mind, or ask for directions at one of the central cafes. There will be a small charge - we paid 3 LYD though this may well differ as the houses seem to be in private ownership.
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Sabratha, the smallest, of the cities that constituted Roman Tripolitania, is more ruinous (photo 1) than Leptis but not completely subsumed by time as is Tripoli itself. A massive earthquake in 365AD damaged the city and, being built of sandstone rather than limestone the ruins have weathered more. It also gets fewer visitors - we virtually had the place to ourselves on our visit. Generally speaking, it's a very open site. There's an amazing amount of the original flooring well as lots of the marble facing on some walls - including the very splendid octagonal latrine at the seaward baths. Life must have been quite idyllic here - for the ruling class at any rate.
There's a glimpse of the Punic city that predates the Roman city in the Mausoleum of Bel (photo 2) that stands out quite clearly as you move through the north-western sector of the site. It may be a reconstruction - the original was dismantled by the Byzantines and the stones used in the city wall - but it is well done and is very striking.
You'll find the usual features of any Roman city here - Cardo Maximus, Forum, Civil Basilica, Senate, various temples, several baths ( the seaward baths are in particularly good condition and their location, overlooking the sea, is splendid), and a magnificent theatre. The ampitheatre, as is usual, lies at some distance from the centre of the city.
The outstanding feature of Sabratha is its theatre. A skilful reconstruction has the theatre's facade stands to its 3-storeyed full height, the beautiful carvings all in situ around the great curved stage and, although much of the seating is gone, it can, and does, accommodate audiences of 1500 for performances in an unrivalled setting of sea views and ancient stone.
The real glory of Sabratha lies inside the museum. Wonderful mosaics (photo 4) are displayed here, all taken from city buildings, public and private. One, the 'Peacock mosaic", is of such intricacy and delicacy it's hard to believe it is made of millions of tiny tesserae Leave a Comment Address: Sabratha lies about 80km west of TripoliDirections: Open 8-6 every day. Seperate charges for the site, and museums and, as always in Libya, camera charges apply.
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The Ottoman Empire officially ruled over Libya during the 15-19th centuries with some interruptions (short Spanish occupation during the 16th century) but for long periods the true rulers were the Barbaresque pirates who ransomed lots of European travellers and sailors. they even were on war twice with the United states of America in 1801-1804, and in 1815 because of piracy acts. . . . history is an eternal renewal. . . . . . Well, the pirates (may be not all were pirates) were wealthy enough to build some big and beautiful palaces and some of them are now used as museums, crafts exhibition centres or are used as public places.
Picture 1 shows Dar Yazarkhan (Yazarkhan’s house) which is now a crafts centre; I like this very sober architecture all whitein the patio; the handicrafts on display are for sale, and you notice it is not crowded with tourists; picture 2 is another view of the patio of this house. the three other pictures are from a patio in a former palace I did not know the name; it is a public place with shops scattered on the basement and first floor around the patio; notice the pillars, probably of Roman origin re-used by the Turkish architects. Address: Medina
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Walking away from Green Square along the Corniche, past the Kabir Hotel, diagonally through Gazelle Park and heading up the hill, you'll come to the district known as al Dahra. This is where many of the medina's wealthier residents moved to as the city expanded in the 1930s. Leafy green streets, low apartment blocks, single houses behind garden walls, some Turkish -style mosques and the Art-Deco-inspired Church of San Francisco define this area.
The church was built in the 1930s, a tall, austere white building with a small steeple and blue (instead of the ubiquitous green) trim. Decorated with frescoes, it also houses a large altarpiece taken from Santa Maria degli Angeli when that church was deconsecrated. The only Catholic church remainling in Tripoli, services are held here in several different languages throughout the week to cater for the various Catholic communities of the city. Leave a Comment
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Although the mosques and souqs of Tripoli's medina give the visitor a wonderful insight into the city's public life, the high walls and closed doors of the narrow streets and alleys (photo 1)were always meant to keep the world at bay from the private lives of its citizens. Most of the people living in the medina today live in pretty poor circumstances in crumbling old houses (this is not the smart end of town) but in the days when all the city lay within the walls rich and poor lived here together .. and some of them lived in considerable luxury.
Some of these grand old houses have been restored, put to a public use of some sort and now offer access to the interested visitor. Step cross the thresholds of these one-time palaces and you will find a quietly elegant world centred around a courtyard garden where fountains once played and beautifully decorated rooms opened out onto galleried walkways.
The old British Consulate (photo 2) is one such house. Built for one of the ruling Qaramanli family in 1744 and used by the British for over 100 years, it's now used for exhibitions and offices, but for a small fee, visitors can wander along the balconies and peer into the room where once a pasha's family lived. Dar Qaramanli (another Qaramanli house dating from the 19th century) is open as a museum.
Other houses have been turned into restaurants, one is a craft exhibition complex (photo 3) and, opposite the Aurelian Arch, the newly-restored and refurbished Zameet Hotel (photo 4) has recently opened its doors. So far there are only a few such houses and, given the secretive way of the medina, it's not easy to guess what lies behind those blank walls you pass as you explore the medina's alleys. Some are so far gone they've lost the protection of their street walls however, and there you can see grand architectural features and faded frescoes (photo 5), the last remains of these patrician houses. Leave a Comment
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 Draghut mosque seen
through the Iron Gate by TheWanderingCamel,
4 more photos
There's a great view through the Iron Gate on the seaward side of the medina up to the 16th century Draghut Mosque (photo 1) that was named for the naval commander who became the Ottoman governor of the city - having first been a corsair (a polite word for the Barbary pirates who were the scourge of the Mediterranean during these years).
For every tall and elegant minaret such as the Draghut, there's a squat, rooftop one, such as the octagonal cantilevered one of the Sufi Mosque (photo 2), diagonally opposite the Ad-Nakah.
The Mahmud Mosque (photo 3) was built in 1680 and is unusual for having only 4 domes, most Tripoli mosques have as many as 16 or more.
The Druj Mosque (photo 4), further south on Sharia Jami al-Draghut, is notable for its overhanging minaret, looking more like a fairy-tale tower than most whilst the Mosque of Sidi Salem (photo 5) in the medina's north-west quarter pre-dates the Ottoman conquest and is one of the city's oldest. Leave a Comment
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