TRIPOLI, the ancient Oea, formerly capital of the Turkish vilayet of Tripoli, and now of the Italian colony of Tripolitania, North Africa, situated in 32° 53' 4o" N. and 13° III 32" E. on a promontory stretching out into the Mediterranean and forming a small crescent-shaped bay which shelters the harbour from the north winds. The mean temperatures are often lower than in many Italian cities, owing to its situation. Pop. (1928) about 70,000, of whom about 20,000 were Italians, and 15,000 Jews. The crenellated enceinte walls by which the city was surrounded had the form of an irregular pentagon, but have now been, to a con siderable extent, demolished. They dated from Roman times, but the earliest portions actually preserved belonged to the By zantine period, and the greater part to the i6th century. The citadel, dating from the time of the Spanish occupation, now serves as the residence of the governor, and here also is the archaeological museum. The desert almost touches the western side of the city, while on the east is the verdant oasis of Meshia, where are still to be seen the tombs of the Caramanlian sultanas. The aspect of the city is picturesque; the houses (many possessing beautiful gardens) rise in terraces from the seashore. The Turk ish quarter contains numerous mosques whose minarets and cupolas break the monotony of the flat-roofed and whitewashed houses. The Pasha mosque (originally a church built by the Spaniards) has an octagonal minaret, but the most beautiful is the Gurgi mosque (1833). Many of the streets are arcaded. Near the port stands a Roman triumphal arch, quadrifrontal in form, made entirely of white marble, and richly embellished with sculpture. It was erected in A.D. 163.
The modern part of the city, to the south-west of the old town, contains a number of official buildings, a cathedral, the Victory monument, theatres, hotels, etc., most of them along the fine new
sea-front called Lungomare Conte Volpi, in honour of the former governor (1921-25). There is also a large tobacco factory, and important military buildings, artillery factories, supply base, hangars, etc., as well as a hospital.
The harbour has been dredged to an adequate depth for an area of 1,200 ac., and the quays provided with modern appliances. In 1927, 1,603 ships, with a tonnage of 1,182,77o, entered and cleared the port, representing a traffic (inward and outward) of 163,487 tons of merchandise and 58,725 passengers. There is regular com munication by sea with Syracuse (via Malta), and also Tunis, and with Misurata and the ports of Cyrenaica as far as Tobruk, and weekly air service has been instituted from Rome via Syracuse. There are productive saltworks, and beer is made from barley grown locally and in Cyrenaica.
The oasis of Tripoli is very fertile and beautiful; its total sur face is about 25 sq.m., and it contains about 4,000 houses, 8,500 wells and a million trees. At Sidi Mezri there is an important Governmental agricultural experimental station.
The ancient Oea (one of the cemeteries of which has been dis covered) was probably founded by Phoenicians from Sicily. It became a Roman colony after the fall of Carthage. It owed its importance in the middle ages and subsequently to the destruction of Sabratha and Leptis Magna by the Arab invasion in the i 1 th century. In 1510 Tripoli was taken by Navarro; in 153o it was granted to the Knights of St. John; but in 1551, it was lost again, and attempts to retake it, organized by Philip II. of Spain and led by Andrea Doria, came to nothing, the expedition being de feated at Jerba. It subsequently became a nest of pirates.