Christian history in Tripoli reaches back through the Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods. Most of the historic churches standing in the city, however, were constructed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Older traces also survive, including remains associated with Saint John in Abu Samra and Our Lady of Al Hara. Together, these sites preserve different […]
Read MorePrince Alaeddine Aydaghmash Al Mardani Al Ashrafi built Al Mardaniya in 1307, corresponding to 707 AH. The date and foundation are recorded on a white marble tablet above the entrance. The inscribed doorway preserves the identity of the founder of this important building in Tripoli’s Islamic architectural heritage.
Read MoreAl Rajabiya dates to 1682, during the Ottoman period. The building contains the tomb of Sheikh Rajab Raqi Bakhur. Originally a madrassa, it was later converted into a mosque serving residents of the surrounding neighborhood.
Read MorePrince Ezzeddine Aydamar Al Ashrafi and his wife Argun Khatoun founded Al Khatouniya in 1374. The Mamluk school takes its name from Khatoun. An inscription on the entrance wall records the construction date, the properties assigned to the school as waqf, and the conditions governing that endowment.
Read MoreAl Saqraqiya was established in the first half of the fourteenth century, during the Mamluk period. Its principal façade carries inscriptions that document the foundation and the properties endowed to support the school. These carved texts form an important part of the building’s exterior, preserving information about both its construction and its endowment.
Read MoreJudge Omar Al Droubi built this madrassa during the Ottoman period, before the middle of the nineteenth century. The building was later almost entirely destroyed, but had been reconstructed by 2019.
Read MoreMahmoud Bey Sanjak established Al Sanjaqiya at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The madrassa belongs to the Ottoman period of Tripoli’s architectural and educational history.
Read MoreDating to the fourteenth-century Mamluk period, Al Qaderiya is the largest historic school in Tripoli after Al Qartawiya. The building was subsequently adapted for use as a mosque. Its entrance is plain and carries no decorative treatment. Inside, on the left, stands a mausoleum without an identifying inscription, leaving the identity of the person buried […]
Read MoreAl Shouhada is a Mamluk madrassa whose founder and construction date are unknown. Its name, meaning “the martyrs,” became associated with the building when residents of Tripoli executed by Ibrahim Pasha were buried there.
Read MoreAl Namel belongs to the Mamluk period, although neither its founder nor its exact construction date is known. The entrance is relatively small but richly treated. Muqarnas carving fills the portal, with additional ornament and inscriptions surrounding it.
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