Tripoli Things to Do

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Red Castle, also known as Tripoli Castle or Assai al Hamra, is an imposing citadel which overlooks the waterfront of the old city. It is built on the site of a Roman fortified camp. For centuries Tripoli's rulers, including the Knights of St. John and the Otttomans, were based here. In the seventeenth cenury the castle was completely surrounded by a water-filled moat. Nowadays there is only water on one side.

The castle covers an area of 13,000 square metres and today it houses the national museum.

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Souq al-Turq, or the Turkish market, runs north-south throught the heart of the Medina, parallel to Souq al-Mushir. It is partially covered by overhanging strips of corrugated aluminium to offer shoppers shade from the sun. This is the most businesslike, least touristy of the souqs.

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The 19th century Ottoman Clock Tower is one of the most impressive landmarks in the Medina. It is sparkling white, as it has just been repainted. It is a typical Turkish design and very similar to the Dolmabahce Clock Tower in Istanbul. Coincidentally, there is yet another similar Ottoman clock tower in the centre of Tripoli in Lebanon.

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This attractive house, with a central courtyard, was originally built in 1630. It was used as the French Consulate until 1946. It has been recently restored and opened to the public. The consul's room contains period furniture and there is a so-so view of the harbour from the rooftop terrace. What makes it worth visiting is the craftsmanship in the tiles, stained glass windows, wooden doors and balustrades.

Admission 2 LD + 2 LD for camera

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Ahmed Pasha Karamanli Mosque is the largest and grandest of the 38 mosques in the Medina. It was built in 1711 by the founder of the Karamanli dynasty and Governor of Tripoli. It has a twenty-five domed roof built over a sanctuary, which is decorated with very beautiful stucco work. In a separate room lie the tombs of Ahmad Pasha and his family. The mosque has an octagonal, Turkish style minaret.

It is difficult to get a picture of the whole mosque, without using a wide-angle lens, as the building is so large and surrounded on all sides by the narrow streets of the souq.

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One of the most interesting of the many small souqs in the Medina is Souq al-Ghizdara, where you can see coppersmiths at work making, amongst other things, the copper crescents that surmount the minarets of mosques. It is just one narrow street, so it only takes a minute to walk the length of the souq.

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The former British Consulate, also known as Dar Adb al Khaliq al Nuwayji. was originally built in 1744 as a residence for Ahmad al Karamanli, the ruler of Tripoli. He donated it as the British Consulate, and it continued to serve that function until 1940. Since the 1990s it has housed a scientific library.

Many of the great trans-Saharan expeditions set off from here, including that of Gordon Laing who, in 1826, embarked on a 13-month camel trek across the Sahara to become the first white man to reach Timbuktou. Just before leaving the Consulate, Laing hastily married the British Consul's beautiful daughter, Emma. She followed his slow progress across the desert by means of mail sent back via camel caravans. But, unfortunately, on the return journey from Timbuktou he was murdered before he could reach her, so their marriage was never consummated.

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If the city had not continued to grow, the Roman ruins of Tripoli would possibly rival those of Leptis Magna and Sabratha. But, when the Arabs occupied the city, they dismantled most of the Roman structures and built their Medina on top of them, incorporating Roman columns and stones in the new buildings. The best example of this is the Four Roman Columns Crossroads in the centre of the Medina.