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Sightseeing Overview
The center of Tripoli is dominated by the Red Castle, a fortress built by the Knights of St John of Malta on top of a Roman castrum. Part of it is the Jamahiriya Museum with a rich collection of archaeological finds, particularly Roman sculptures and mosaics, found in local archaeological sites.

On the city’s central square, Green Square, is the main entrance to the medina, where most monuments date from the 16th-century Ottoman period, except for the second-century Roman Triumphal Arch erected in honor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

On the other side of the square are the colonnaded streets of the downtown area built by the Italians, a small park and the harbor. Most sites in town can easily be seen in a day, but Tripoli is also the perfect base for exploring the Roman sites of Sabratha and Leptis Magna.

Tourist Information
General People’s Committee for Tourism
Near the ferry port on the main coastal road
Tel: (021) 333 6452/7576.
Website: www.libyan-tourism.org

There is no official tourist office in Tripoli and the General People’s Committee for Tourism is, apart from handing out a few brochures, about as useful as their website. For practical information about the city and the country, contact one of the local tour operators (see Tours of the City).

Key Attractions:

Jamahiriya Museum
This is Libya’s largest museum, with a fine collection of artifacts chronologically arranged from the Neolithic period up to the present. Highlights include the fine reproductions of Saharan rock art from the Acacus Mountains, and superb Roman sculptures and mosaics from Leptis Magna. The colorful VW beetle in the entrance hall was Colonel Gaddafi’s during the lead up to the1969 revolution.

Green Square
Tel: (021) 333 0292.

As-Sarraya al-Hamra (Red Castle)
Built in the 16th century on the site of a Roman castrum (fortified camp) by the Spaniards and the Knights of St John of Malta, the Red Castle was the official residence of the Turkish governors. Part of the complex is the Jamahiriya Museum (see above) and offices, but visitors can stroll through the intricate network of alleys and courtyards within the castle.

Green Square
Tel: (021) 333 3042.

Medina
The medina lacks the exoticism of Moroccan medinas and the bustle of Cairo’s old city, but it makes for a pleasant and interesting afternoon stroll. The principal entrance is on Green Square, leading to the Ottoman clock tower, and various souks lead off it. The main drag is Sharia Jamaa ad-Draghut, with the Mosque of Draghut, which leads to the Roman Arch of Marcus Aurelius.

Dar Yusuf al-Karamanli
The Yusuf Karamanli house, a grand medina house built around a central courtyard with colorful Turkish tile-work, gives an insight into how wealthy people lived here 200 years ago. The rooms hold displays of traditional dress, period furniture, musical instruments and household objects.

Sharia Jamaa ad-Draghut, just off al-Arba’a Asaht, Medina

Arch of Marcus Aurelius
The only standing reminder of Roman Oea is the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, erected in AD163. The triumphal arch was excavated to the original ground level, which suggests that most of Oea lies buried under the medina. The city’s two main deities Apollo and Minerva are clearly visible on the gateway, and by the side are some carved blocks from a nearby Roman temple.

Sharia Hara Kebir

Further Distractions:

Gurgi Mosque
The most elegant in Tripoli, and the last Ottoman mosque to be built in Libya, is the Gurgi Mosque, built by Yusuf Gurgi in 1833. The interior has exquisite Turkish-style tile-work, Italian marble columns and Moroccan carved stucco.

Sharia Hara Kebir

The Old Consulates
The Old French Consulate near the Arch of Marcus Aurelius is in a restored 17th-century building with a central courtyard. Around the corner, on Sharia Hara Kebir, is the Old British Consulate behind the Gurgi Mosque, in a fine 18th-century house that was built for the ruling Karamanli family and used by the British consul until the 1940s. The roof terrace has great views across the medina to the modern harbor.

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