Tripoli

Capital and chief port of Libya, on the Mediterranean coast, 600 km/373 mi west of Benghazi; population (2005 est) 911,600. Products include olive oil, fruit, fish, and textiles; industries include oil refining, food processing, and the manufacture of cotton textiles, soap, and tobacco products. Tripoli was founded about the 7th century BC by Phoenicians from Oea (now Tripoli in Lebanon). It was a base for the Axis powers during World War II. In 1986 it was bombed by the US Air Force in retaliation for international guerrilla activity.

Features The name means ‘Three Cities’ (Oea, Leptis Magna, and Sabratha). The ruins of Leptis Magna are 112 km/70 mi to the east, near Homs. Old Tripoli is a typical Moorish city, containing a Spanish fortress, many beautiful gardens, and several fine mosques, including the Great Mosque (1294) and the Teylan Mosque (1336). A feature is the arch of Marcus Aurelius built of marble, which dates from the first century BC. During the Italian occupation a number of modern government buildings were erected, together with a fort. The university was founded in 1973. Tripoli is at the junction of old caravan routes to Timbuktu, Lake Chad, and Darfur, and three railway lines diverge from it to Zuara, Garian, and Tagiura.

Tripoli

Port in north Lebanon, 65 km/40 mi northeast of Beirut; population (2003 est) 212,900. The second largest city in Lebanon, after Beirut, Tripoli is the terminus of the pipeline from Iraq, the site of Lebanon's second airport, and a centre of trade for north Lebanon and northwest Syria. There is oil refining; oranges, tobacco, and cotton are traded, as well as the manufacture of furniture, soap, and textiles. It stands on the site of the Phoenician city of Oea.

Tripoli was founded about the 7th century BC and was the capital of Tripolis, a Phoenician federation of three cities (Sidon, Tyre, and Aradus). It was taken by the Crusaders in 1109 after a five-year siege, retaken by the Mamelukes in 1289 and destroyed in the process. The 12th century castle of St Gilles, built by crusaders, and the 13th century Mamelukes' Grand Mosque, are important buildings.