Tripoli, Lebanon

Did You Know?

• The Crusaders burned Tripoli's famous library Dar al-'Ilm (House of Knowledge) with its thousands of volumes in 1109.
• The Palm Islands offshore are a protected area for endangered loggerhead turtles, rare monk seals, and migratory birds.

Names {{anchor|Name|Etymology|Toponymy}}

According to classical writers Diodorus Siculus, Pliny the Elder, and Strabo, the city was founded by combining colonies from Tyre, Sidon, and Arwad, each a stadion apart, and the combined settlement became known as Trípolis, meaning 'triple city' in Greek. In the Amarna letters the name Derbly, possibly a Semitic cognate of the modern Arabic Ṭarābulus, appears, while other sources mention Ahlia or Wahlia from the 14th century BC. An Assyrian engraving from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II calls it Mahallata, Mahlata, Mayza, or Kayza. Under the Phoenicians it was called Athar. The Arabs later called it Ṭarābulus and Ṭarābulus ash-Shām to distinguish it from the Libyan city. Tripoli was also known as al-Fayḥāʾ, derived from the Arabic verb fāḥa, referring to the scent of its orange orchards in bloom. The city is also given the title 'City of Knowledge and Scholars'.

History

Evidence of settlement in Tripoli dates back as early as 1400 BC, and it was originally established as a Phoenician colony in the 8th century BC, where a trading station was set up. Under Persian rule it became the center of a confederation of the Phoenician city-states of Sidon, Tyre, and Arados Island. The 551 Beirut earthquake and tsunami destroyed the Byzantine city along with other coastal settlements. An Arab Muslim army conquered Tripoli in 635, and under Umayyad rule it became a commercial and shipbuilding center.

It achieved semi-independence under Fatimid rule and developed into a center of learning. The Crusaders laid siege at the beginning of the 12th century and entered in 1109, causing extensive destruction including the burning of the library Dar al-'Ilm. In 1289 it fell to the Mamluks, who destroyed the old port and built a new inland city near the old castle. Ottoman rule from 1516 to 1918 saw retained prosperity.

Tripoli and all of Lebanon was under French mandate from 1920 until independence in 1943. Many historians reject Phoenician presence before the 8th or sometimes 4th century BC, while others argue for an earlier age. The ancient site lies buried beneath modern El Mina, with excavations revealing remains from the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine, and Fatimid periods, as well as Stone Age refuges at Abou Halka.

Landmarks

The Citadel of Tripoli, also called the Castle of Saint-Gilles, is named after Raymond de Saint-Gilles, who dominated the city in 1102 and commanded a fortress called Mont Pèlerin. The original castle burnt down in 1289 and was rebuilt on numerous occasions, including in 1307–08 by Emir Essendemir Kurgi. The Clock Tower in Al-Tell square was gifted by Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II and erected in 1906 to celebrate his 30th year of rule; it was renovated in 1992 and is now operational. Several hammams built by early Mamluk governors survive, including Abed, Izz El-Din, Hajeb, Jadid, and An-Nouri, the last built in 1333 by governor Nur El-Din near the Grand Mosque.

Economy

Tripoli is one of Lebanon's economically poorest cities, with a substantial division between affluent and poor residents and elevated unemployment rates; some impoverished neighborhoods have become strongholds for Islamist and other radical factions. Once economically comparable to Beirut, it has declined in recent decades. Organizations such as the Business Incubation Association in Tripoli are trying to revive traditional export businesses like furniture, artisanal copper goods, and soaps, and to expand new industries such as ICT offshore services. Khan Al Saboun, established by governor Yusuf Sayfa Pasha at the end of the 15th century and finished at the beginning of the 16th, houses soap making workshops using olive oil. Tripoli is regionally known for its Arabic sweets.