Photo of the Week – Tripoli
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Tripoli has been in the news a lot lately – but there’s more than one Tripoli in the Middle East. I went to Lebanon’s Tripoli in search of authentic souks and found what I was looking for. However I quickly realized Tripoli was more than just souks, it has a rich history and cultural feel that is not to be missed if you are in Lebanon.
Tripoli’s history goes back about 3500 years. It was founded by the Phoenicians, and since then, Tripoli was penetrated, settled, or ruled by Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusades, Mamelukes, and Ottomans. It’s one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean in terms of monumental heritage. The districts, bazaars, old houses, alleys, and monuments are scattered over the city.
I loved the souk in Tripoli, which provided a good glimpse into local life in the bustling ancient city. I was also fascinated by walking around outside the souks. The buildings and architecture were old and decrepit but still functioning. The people were generous and curious about me which led me down many unique paths as I tried to converse with locals.
Like the rest of the Middle East the people of Tripoli are known for welcoming their guests; giving me lots of photography opportunities as well as lots of sweets to sample! Here’s a collection of some of my favorite photos from my day wandering around Tripoli in and out of the souks.
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This is so much more colourful and joyous than the Tripoli that made the news for so many years…
Yes – what a nice thought Mark!
The pictures are beautiful. It is random but how was the food there?
Thanks! The food was amazing – in fact I just wrote a post on it today! That’s one of the things I miss the most is the food!
A really nice series of images there Sherry. I particularly like the image ‘Shedding Light in Dark Souks’, as I know how hard it is to get a nice image in these lighting conditions.
Thanks Jason. Yes – the lighting in the souks was really challenging. Luckily I had a lot of chances to practice thanks to digital!
Great pictures! Thank you for visiting Tripoli.