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The name
Tripoli comes from the confederation of three Phoenician cities: Tyre,
Sidon and Arados – Arwad in Syria that were established in the IVth
century B.C. This is why the Greeks baptized it Tripoli. Unfortunately,
from this long history, not much is left: only a few coins, some
architectural remains…
It is much
later in time, after having been destroyed by an earthquake in the VIth
Century, that the city started to manifest its strength by resisting to
the Arab attacks.
Surrounding
itself to the Arabs due to severe famine, Tripoli saw its destiny placed
into their hands. Named Trablous by its new occupants,
Tripoli became an
active city that trades with all the Mediterranean countries and an
intellectual center renowned to attract numerous philosophers.
Its library
included over 100 000 books that went up in smoke when this library was
burnt by the crusaders.
In 1099,
Raymond de Saint Gilles, Count of Toulouse laid siege to the city. It
would take ten years for the crusaders to deliver it with the help of a
Genoese troupe. Having vanquished the city, the crusaders couldn’t help
but destroy it. They would rebuild it a few years later and Tripoli
regains breath.
Triple – the
name given to the city by the crusaders – flourished in commerce with
the Occident: silk, wool sheets… The dynamism and prosperity of the city
are manifested through the construction of churches, convents,
hospitals, but also by an important intellectual activity. Philosophy
and Medicine are taught in schools that became recognized overseas.
In the
XIIIth century, the crusaders were losing power over Tripoli. In 1268,
Antiochus falls and in 1289, Tripoli passes to the hands of the Mamluk
Sultan Qalaoun. When the city is reconstructed at the bottom of the old
Crusader Castle, it regains its prosperity during the reign of the
Mamluk Empire.
At every
corner of every road, Tripoli, capital of the North, reminds us of its
rich history. With its numerous artifacts shops, it seems Tripoli has
kept tradition alive through its daily life.
Among the
famous historical places one can visit:
The Castle
of Saint Gilles (Qalaat Sanjil), Souk al-Haraj, Al-Attar Mosque, Khan al
Khayyateen, Sainte Marie-de-la-Tour Cathedral, El Mina (the old port),
Khan el Saboun…
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