The substantial restoration underway seeks to “preserve the heritage of the Old City” in Tripoli, said Mahmoud al-Naas, head of the management committee overseeing the project. Covering around 50 hectares, the Old City is an “architectural joy” — but this makes the “enormous” work required a “heavy responsibility”, he said. Built by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC, Tripoli’s Old City has passed from civilisation to civilisation, notably the ancient Greeks, Romans and the Ottoman empire. Labourers work on an infrastructure rehabilitation project in an alley of the Libyan capital Tripoli’s old city. In some places, the walls of old buildings awaiting facelifts are bolstered by wooden beams that extend across alleyways like bridges.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 15, 2021 12:44 UTC