Introduction
The capital of Libya, Tripoli was established in the 7th century BC. In ancient times it was known as Oea. It is Libya's largest city and chief seaport.
Tripoli is located in northwestern Libya, on the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies on a high rocky promontory overlooking the Gulf of Sidra. The city is divided into old and new quarters. The old quarter lies along the harbor, with the modern city to the southwest.
Places of interest
The old section of Tripoli, called the medina, is walled. This part of the city has narrow streets and is known for its bazaars. The medina has a number of historic mosques, or Islamic houses of worship. They include the Karamanli Mosque, built in 1736, and the Gurgi Mosque, built in 1883. Often called the “camel mosque,” En-Naqah Mosque dates from the Middle Ages to the 17th century. The medina also is the site of the marble triumphal arch of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and of a 16th-century Spanish castle.
The modern city houses many official buildings as well as theaters and hotels. Al-Fateh University, which was opened in 1973, is located there, as is the former royal palace.
Economy
Tripoli is a busy shipment center. The port handles tankers carrying oil overseas. There is an oil depot and a gas-bottling plant near Tripoli. Other industries include leather tanning and the manufacture of cigarettes and carpets. Agricultural products include olives, vegetables, citrus fruits, grains, and tobacco. Fishing is an important industry, and canneries in the city process the fish caught along the coast.
History
The Phoenicians founded what is now Tripoli in the 7th century BC. Then called Oea, it was one of three cities built by the Phoenicians in this part of North Africa; the other two were Leptis and Sabrata. With the destruction of the Phoenician colony of Carthage in 146 BC, the city came under Roman control. In about AD 450 the Vandals invaded and gained control of the area. During the invasion they destroyed the walls of Leptis and Sabrata. Tripoli, which had been the least important of the three cities, then began to grow significantly. In the 6th century AD the city became part of the Byzantine Empire.
Islamic Arab warriors conquered Tripoli in about AD 645. The Spanish stormed the city in 1510, and the Turks conquered it in 1551. From 1551 to 1911 the city was a provincial capital of the Ottoman Empire of the Turks. Italy held Libya from 1911 until 1943, after which the British occupied it. When Libya gained independence in 1951, Tripoli became the capital. Population (1995 estimate), 1,140,000.
