Some 85 km north of Beirut and the second largest city in Lebanon, shares in the long history of the Levantine coast. It was the center of a Phoenician confederation with Sidon, Tyre and Arados Island-hence the name "Tripolis," meaning "triple city ". The modern city is extremely rich in monuments from the Crusader and later Mameluke times. From the foot of the Citadel, the old town extends towards the busy international port. Here are walls, the monumental gateway and inner courtyard of the Castle of St. Giles, built by the Franks.

Distinguished remnants of the Mameluke period are the Mosque of Teynal, and the Mosque of AI-Attar. Islamic religious schools known as" madrassahs" bear witness to the brilliance of Tripoli in the Middle Ages.