After touring the Ottoman palace, we enter the Old City via the Freedom Gate, or Bab Al-Hurriya. As we pass through it, we are greeted by a truly Ottoman city. The bazaar, hans, public baths and mosques make us feel like we are traveling back in time. We are inside the old city of Tripoli. The name of the souq we visit is Souk Atturk, or the Turkish bazaar. The bazaar becomes active and lively towards sunset, and this continues until the Isha prayer. Thus, people tend to do their shopping as the evening approaches and sets in at this bazaar. The shopkeepers in the bazaar apparently like to see us in traditional apparel. This brings us closer to them and we make pleasant chatter. Libyans tend to wear western-style clothing on the weekdays, but on Friday they wear their traditional clothes, to attend the Friday prayer. Thus, it has become a tradition to resort to traditional clothes on Fridays. Yet, this does not apply fully to the elderly, as they tend to dress traditionally every day.

We run into a Turk as we tour around the Turkish bazaar. His name is Salim Muhammed Turki. As his name suggests, he is of Turkish origin. “I am originally from the Kuloğlu family,” he says. One may frequently encounter many Turks in the bazaar. There are also numerous Turkish families. Salim Muhammed Turki is a descendant of the Kuloğlu family, which played an important role in the administration of Libya during the Ottoman period. The Kuloğlu family was a big family in Libya, and there are still people in Libya from their lineage.

Family ties

We visit the 1,200-year-old Naqah Mosque, or the Camel Mosque, inside the bazaar. As we enter the mosque, its age becomes obvious. This also shows that Islam is a well-established religion in these lands.

There is a Dargut street in the old city. They call our Turgut Reis “Dargut” or “Dragut.” A famous Ottoman sailor, Turgut Reis, was the first Ottoman to bring these lands under Ottoman rule. He was also the first Ottoman governor of Tripoli. There is a mosque dedicated to him and his tomb. We pray to God for him in front of his grave. His grave is covered by a Turkish flag. Turgut was seriously wounded during the Siege of Malta and died later in 1565. He was buried in the tomb located next to the mosque, the construction of which he had sponsored between 1553 and 1565. There is also a building near the mosque, replete with numerous courtyards, which Turgut lived in during his tenure as governor.

The Turkish bath was built between 1604 and 1605 during the time of another Ottoman pasha, İskender Pasha. It is called Turgut Turkish bath. Apparently, it is named after Turgut Reis. It is the oldest bath in Tripoli. The prison was built in 1664 during the time of another governor, Osman Pasha. We visit Karamanli Ahmet Pasha Mosque, an Ottoman mosque surrounded by more than 400 graves. Karamanli Ahmet Pasha was an Ottoman governor who sponsored the building of the mosque in 1738. The mosque’s courtyard contains the tombs of Karamanli Ahmet Pasha and his family.

Entering the mosque, a beautiful sight greets us. It is truly a magnificent work of art with its pulpit, altar, and columns.

The old city

The Old City is full of Ottoman works. We eventually come to the Clock Square. It is named after the Clock Tower, built by Ottoman Governor Ali Pasha in 1871. The clock is still operational and has been telling the time to Libyans for many years. There is another Ottoman mosque built in 1388, called Shanshan, in the Clock Square. Its architecture and minarets are styled after those in Anatolia, so the traces of Ottoman architecture can be found, not only in Europe, but also in North Africa.