History & Culture:
Human habitation of Tripoli goes back to at least the 14th century BC, but it wasn't until around the 9th century BC that the Phoenicians established a small trading station here. Under Roman rule, the city flourished, but along with other Mediterranean coastal cities, it was destroyed by the earthquake and tidal wave that hit the region in 551 AD.
While the city’s conquest by the Crusaders at the beginning of the 12th century saw extensive destruction, including the burning of the city’s famous library, the Dar il-Ilm; which housed thousands of priceless volumes, many of the buildings standing in Tripoli today date back to the 1300’s and have been registered as historical sites.
The city’s main hammam is a classic example of a traditional Roman-Byzantine bathhouse, while the many tailors, jewellers, perfumeries, tanners and soap-makers still trading in the tiny souks produce their wares in surroundings that have changed very little in 500 years.
Modern Tripoli, which has a population of about 1.7 million, is divided into two key parts; mediaeval and modern. While the El-Mina; the ancient port area at the foot of the Crusader Castle, is where most of the historical and cultural sites are located, modern Tripoli, which surrounds it, is a wealthy and bustling metropolis dominated by commerce, banking and recreation.
Entertainment:
The nightclub scene is still undeveloped in Tripoli, but late-night restaurants, buzzing tearooms, lively conversation and the chance to sample a traditional nargileh or water pipe offer their own compensations to travellers looking for an authentic North African experience.
After sunset, the busiest part of the town is the Medina, where locals flock to the numerous street cafes to drink either ‘mocktails’ or a traditional ink-black tea served with mint or peanuts. By late evening though, the streets are largely quiet.
Music is an integral part of life in Tripoli and whether it’s the sound of a 1960’s jukebox or the mass accordion-playing that traditionally serenades eve-of-wedding celebrations, melody and harmony are ubiquitous throughout the city.
Although there are no official theatre venues, small theatrical groups use bars, clubs and even the streets to perform and even though their productions are invariably in Arabic, their extravagant body language and passion-filled speeches offer a unique experience for Westerners. The city boasts a number of cinemas too, showing anything from the latest Bollywood blockbuster to archaic Spaghetti Westerns, but don’t expect English subtitles to come as standard.
If you travel to Tripoli in the summer, you’ll doubtless be immersed in preparations for the annual Tripoli Arts and Music Festival that attracts national and international stars to the city each July and August and is very well supported by the locals.
Museums:
Beginning with Neolithic times and incorporating key artefacts from Libya’s extraordinary and colourful history right up until modern times, the 47 galleries of cave art, pottery and mosaics on offer at the Jamahiriya Museum; set in an ancient castle-fortress complex in the heart of the city, make this one of the finest museums in the world.
Such was the pivotal role that ancient Libya played in the rise of the Roman Empire that the province known at the time as Leptis Magna provided an emperor; in the form of Septimius Severus, as well as vast amounts of corn.
Today, the museum’s Roman gallery includes pieces from the Phoenician, Greek and Roman eras as well as the later Ottoman, Berber and Arab cultures.
Nearby are small but notable museums devoted to Natural History, Archaeology and Ethnography, as well as a fascinating and recently-restored Islamic Museum. All four are in close proximity and can be seen in less than two days.
With the opening of Tripoli to Western tourists, a far greater emphasis is being placed on the city’s cultural and historical heritage and the city’s museum collections are already expanding in size and scale.
Attractions:
For many Western visitors, the narrow white-washed streets of the walled Medina are themselves a main attraction. Crammed with elaborate mosques such as the Gurgi and the Karamanli, and dotted with the traditional dwellings - many with internal courtyards - that date back to the Ottoman period, the ancient city will draw you back time and again.
While there are plenty of up-to-date attractions; including a water park, a zoo, and a collection of beaches, it is the sheer breadth of Tripoli’s historical monuments that make this a unique destination.
The gargantuan and imposing Marble Arch dedicated to Emperor Marcus Aurelius offers visitors a final trace of Libya’s Roman period, while Green Square, near the waterfront, provides ample opportunity simply to people-watch.
Constructed over many centuries, and complete with harem, mosque and myriad courtyards, it is perhaps the city’s so-called Red Castle (Assai al-Hamra) that truly brings the past to life however. This fabulous city citadel, which houses the important Jamahiriya Museum, was once the home of the Ottomans and the Knights of St. John and remains the single most important historical landmark in Tripoli.
Shopping:
As you wander through the meandering streets of the market, pause to admire the range of exquisite crafts produced the traditional way – by hand. There are hand-crafted copper, brass and silverware, top-quality leather and jewellery items to suit all tastes and pockets in the Medina and if you want a truly unique momento of your trip, why not consider a tailor-made Arabic outfit, a box of Libyan sweets or even a traditional water pipe?
Gold is a particularly good buy at present, a carpet will last you forever and if it’s presents for friends and family you are after, Libya’s famous traditional olive oil-based soap is said to do wonders for the complexion.
Souq al Attara, just off Green Square, is the best place for textiles and clothing, Souq al-Ghizdir will supply you with beautiful copperware, and Souq al-Turk is the largest general marketplace in the old town. Ben Zeglam, situated in the carpet bazaar, offers a range of textiles and pottery as well as floor-coverings.
Don’t worry too much if you’ve lost track of time amidst the fascinating souks and bazaars. The shutters won’t go down until around 2100 or 2200 hrs, later if the shopkeeper wants to chat and offers you tea, but if you do need to hurry back to your hotel for an engagement, the Medina is close to the area known as Al-Tall; the heart of the public transport network and the terminus for most taxi routes.
Weather:
With one of the harshest deserts in the world meeting the mild Mediterranean air, the majority of Libya has a changeable climate. Summer is generally very hot, with average temperatures on the coast reaching around 30°C (86°F) and often accompanied by high humidity. In the south, temperatures can reach a sweltering 50°C (122°F) or even higher.
Around 2500 years ago, the historian Herodotus claimed that “in the upper parts of Libya, it is always summer.” Yet in winter the weather can be cool and rainy on the coast, and there may be snow, especially in the mountain regions. Desert temperatures can easily drop to sub-freezing at night, but in the course of a year, Libya's desert regions receive less than 100mm or 4 inches of rain.
During the spring in northern Libya, you may encounter the ghibli; a hot, dry, sand-laden wind which can raise the temperature in a matter of hours to an uncomfortable 50°C (122°F). The ghibli can last from just a few hours to several days.
Click here for an updated weather forecast.
Temperature (Average °C)
Month |
Min (°C) |
Max (°C) |
Min (°F) |
Max (°F) |
Rainfall (mm) |
January |
9 |
16 |
48 |
61 |
81 |
February |
10 |
17 |
50 |
63 |
46 |
March |
11 |
19 |
52 |
66 |
28 |
April |
14 |
22 |
57 |
72 |
10 |
May |
16 |
25 |
61 |
77 |
5 |
June |
18 |
28 |
65 |
82 |
2 |
July |
22 |
30 |
72 |
86 |
0 |
August |
22 |
30 |
72 |
86 |
0 |
September |
22 |
30 |
72 |
86 |
10 |
October |
18 |
27 |
65 |
80 |
41 |
November |
14 |
23 |
57 |
73 |
66 |
December |
10 |
18 |
50 |
65 |
94 |
Leptis Magana
(120 km east ):
The city appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC, who gave it the Lybico-Berber name Lpqy.[2] The town wouldn't achieve prominence until Carthage became a major power in the Mediterranean Sea in the 4th century BC. It nominally remained part of Carthage's dominions until the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BC and then became part of the Roman Republic, although from about 200 BC onward, it was for all intents and purposes an independent city.
Leptis Magna remained as such until the reign of the Roman emperor Tiberius, when the city and the surrounding area were formally incorporated into the empire as part of the province of Africa. It soon became one of the leading cities of Roman Africa and a major trading post.
Leptis achieved its greatest prominence beginning in 193, when a native son, Lucius Septimius Severus, became emperor. He favored his hometown above all other provincial cities, and the buildings and wealth he lavished on it made Leptis Magna the third-most important city in Africa, rivaling Carthage and Alexandria. In 205, he and the imperial family visited the city and received great honors.
Among the changes that Severus introduced were to create a magnificent new forum and to rebuild the docks. The natural harbour had a tendency to silt up, but the Severan changes made this worse, and the eastern wharves are extremely well preserved, since they were hardly used.
Leptis over-extended itself at this period. During the Crisis of the Third Century, when trade declined precipitously, Leptis Magna's importance also fell into a decline, and by the middle of the fourth century, large parts of the city had been abandoned. Ammianus Marcellinus recounts that the crisis was worsened by a corrupt Roman governor named Romanus during a major tribal raid who demanded bribes to protect the city. The ruined city could not pay these and complained to the emperor Valentianian. Romanus then bribed people at court and arranged for the Leptan envoys to be punished "for bringing false accusations". It enjoyed a minor renaissance beginning in the reign of the emperor Theodosius I.
In 439, Leptis Magna and the rest of the cities of Tripolitania fell under the control of the Vandals when their king, Gaiseric, captured Carthage from the Romans and made it his capital. Unfortunately for the future of Leptis Magna, Gaiseric ordered the city's walls demolished so as to dissuade its people from rebelling against Vandal rule. The people of Leptis and the Vandals both paid a heavy price for this in 523 when a group of Berber raiders sacked the city.
Belisarius recaptured Leptis Magna in the name of Rome ten years later, and in 534, he destroyed the kingdom of the Vandals. Leptis became a provincial capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (see Byzantine Empire) but never recovered from the destruction wreaked upon it by the Berbers. It was the site of a massacre of Berber chiefs by the Roman authorities in 543.[3] By the time of the Arab conquest of Tripolitania in the 650s, the city was abandoned except for a Byzantine garrison force.
Today, the site of Leptis Magna is the site of some of the most impressive ruins of the Roman period.
Sabratha
(70 km west):
Sabratha's port was established, perhaps about 500 BC, as a Phoenician trading-post that served as a coastal outlet for the products of the African hinterland.The Phoenicians gave it the Lybico-Berber name 'Sbrt'n'[2], which suggests that there may have been a native town built there prior to the Phoenicians' arrival. Sabratha became part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The Emperor Septimus Severus was born nearby in Leptis Magna, and Sabratha reached its monumental peak during the rule of the Severans. The city was badly damaged by earthquakes during the 4th century, particularly the quake of AD 365. It was rebuilt on a more modest scale by Byzantine governors. Within a hundred years of the Arab conquest of the maghreb, trade had shifted to other ports and Sabratha dwindled to a village.
The archaeological site:
Besides its magnificent late 3rd century theatre that retains its three-storey architectural backdrop, Sabratha has temples dedicated to Liber Pater, Serapis and Isis. There is a Christian basilica of the time of Justinian and also remnants of some of the mosaic floors that enriched elite dwellings of Roman North Africa (for example, at the Villa Sileen, near Al-Khoms). However, these are most clearly preserved in the coloured patterns of the seaward (or Forum) baths, directly overlooking the shore, and in the black and white floors of the Theatre baths.
There is an adjacent museum containing some treasures from Sabratha, but others can be seen in the national museum in Tripoli.
