Tripoli

Tripoli is the capital and largest city of Libya. Located in the northwest of the country on the edge of the desert, it sits on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean Sea and forming a bay.

Historically known as Tripoli-of-the-West, the city features a long history starting with its foundation in the 7th century BC by the Phoenicians, who gave it the Libyco-Berber name Oyat. It later passed into the hands of the Greek rulers of Cyrenaica as Oea, and by the later half of the 2nd century BC, it belonged to the Romans, becoming known around the beginning of the 3rd century AD as the Regio Tripolitana. A major turning point in its medieval history occurred during the siege of the city by Amr ibn al-As, a general of the Rashidun Caliphate. During the siege, seven soldiers from the clan of Madhlij unintentionally discovered an unwalled section on the western side of the Tripoli beach during their hunting routine. They infiltrated the city undetected and incited a riot by shouting Takbir, leading the confused Byzantine garrison soldiers to believe the Muslim forces were already inside and prompting them to flee toward their ships. This event allowed Amr to subdue the city easily.

Centuries later, after capture by the Ottoman Turks, Tripoli became a base of operation for Barbary pirates. In 1711, Ahmed Karamanli, a Janissary officer of Turkish origin, killed the Ottoman governor and established the Karamanli dynasty, asserting a semi-independence that persisted until the Ottoman Empire re-established its authority in 1835.

Today, the city serves as the country's largest commercial and manufacturing center and is home to the University of Tripoli. Municipal administration and surrounding suburbs lie within the Tripoli sha'biyah district. Additional geographical and historical facts about the area can be found on Tripoli, Libya and through records like the GeoNames record for Tripoli.