Tripoli Things to Do

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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.

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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

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Tripoli isn't exactly well-endowed with green open spaces. One playground is located in the middle of what the expats call "Death Roundabout" - a swirling ring of roadway and speeding cars - and no access other than a death-defying dash between the traffic. Definitely something to leave to the locals, but there is one very pleasant park just a few minute's walk from Green Square that you could head for if you feel like a spell on a park bench, reading maybe or watching the passing parade over a glass of tea at the small tea-house.

A pretty fountain featuring a sculpture of a girl and a gazelle gives the park its name - Gazelle Park - though everytime I've walked through the pair have been hidden by banners covered in some slogan or other.

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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.

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Stay in Tripoli for more than a day or two and you will find yourself coming to Green Square quite often. The name is something of a misnomer - you won't find any lawns or even many trees here, though there are plenty of Libya's unadorned green flags flying This is where the old city meets the new.

Looking at the square with the harbour behind you to the north, two tall pillars topped with staues mark the entrance to the square (photo1), one one a Saracen warrior, the other a corsair ship. The castle (which houses the museum) occupies the north- west corner, whilst the entrance to the medina (the old walled city) is to be found in the south-west corner. In between these two gateways you'll see the simple wooden covered dais used by Colonel Ghaddafi and his officials to review the parades that are held here periodically - the small balcony on the castle wall was Mussolini's chosen spot . From this westerly axis the square stretches out into a vast space that, by day, is used as an enormous carpark, and by night as a place to stroll, take a carriage ride, maybe have your photo taken sitting on one of the gaudily decorated loveseats with a pretty little desert gazelle ( or a monster motorbike for the more macho).

South and east of the square, the streets will take you past a the seahorse fountain (photo 2)and into the early 20th century city with its legacy of colonial Italianate buildings - mostly white with green shutters - and shady arcades.

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Tripoli's Grand Mosque started its life as a Roman Catholic Cathedral, built by the Italians in 1928 in a neo- Romanesque style in a new quarter of the city that is dominated by similarly Italianate style. Even after the Italians left and Libya became a Muslim monarchy it remained a Christian cathedral. It wasn't until the revolution of 1970 saw the country declared an Islamic Socialist state that the cathedral was converted to a mosque. The mosque has recently been completely restored and looks quite splendid with its gleaming facade of white marble and silvered dome.

The building remains something of a hybrid still, despite the crescent moons on the roof , the new porch built in front of the the main door, the new marble facade and the call of the muezzin drifting across the city from what was once the belltower. Built on a Christian axis that calls for the altar to face east to the rising sun, facing Mecca means the congreation must make diagonal lines across the carpeted floor. The whole square it sits on (now the Maidan al-Jezayir - Algeria Square) has a very European feel, especially in the colonnaded court to the side of the square with its tall white arcaded entry and its outdoor tables - a scene that really takes you back to Italy.

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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.

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Years of Ottoman tolerance of other religions saw other religions able to build their own places of worship within the walls of the old city.

The historic Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (photo 1) stands right in the heart of the medina. A church has stood on this site since quite early Ottoman times - the first was a small chapel built by Franciscan monks who worked with western Christian prisoners in the nearby prison. A larger church was built in the 18th century and this was then rebuilt in stone brought from Malta in 1891. It served as the Roman Catholic Cathedral during the early years of Italian colonial rule until a much grander Cathedral was built in the new city (that has now become the city's Grand Mosque, to replace the Grand Mosque that once stood in the medina). Declining numbers of Christians in the city saw it closed and deconsecrated, to open for a short while in recent years as an art gallery. Yet another shift in the population makeup of the city has seen the numbers of Christians growing once more and on March 17, 2007, the church was reconsecrated and handed over to the Anglican community.

Nearby, within the old Ottoman prison (built in 1663 to house captives taken by the dreaded Barbary corsairs as they awaited their fate - to be ransomed if they were lucky, or sold as slaves if they were not) the Greek Orthodox Church of St George (photo 2) took care of the spiritual needs of eastern Christians. Newly restored, it now serves the small Greek community in Tripoli whilst, in the new city, the Church of San Francisco (photo 3) serves the city's various Roman Catholic communities with services held in a variety of languages throughout the week.