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TravelLebanonAttractions

by Christelle EL-Daher

Tripoli Through History And Flavours: A Guided Tour With Samira Ezzo

20 May 2025

Tripoli Citadel. Photo: Elie Habbaki

As promised, I am back with a recap of my day in Tripoli with Samira Ezzo, aka @layersoflebanon on Instagram, a soon to be licensed tourist guide. After the great success of her “Green Line Walking Tour” Samira just added Tripoli, the second closest city to her heart, to her list of offerings.
During her childhood, Samira had visited “El Mina”, Tripoli’s distinctive waterfront, many times, but she never saw the other parts of this ancient city. As an adult, she decided to make up for lost opportunities by discovering firsthand this buzzing metropolis. Through her exploration-visits, she wandered the old souks, admired the beauty of its religious monuments, and made friendships with locals who were kind enough to share their insights and enrich her knowledge on each stop. And to make sure that we get the same experience, Samira had invited two locals, Mariam Bachat, a licensed tour guide and content creator, and Helena Makhoul, a Tripolitan passionate about her city, to join us for the day.
The trip offered cleverly packaged historical information, ludic activities, culinary discoveries and most importantly, great company!
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Tripoli view of the city. Photo: Elie Habbaki

My day started at 8 am, when we left Beirut and headed towards Tripoli, the capital of Northern Lebanon and the second biggest Lebanese city. After an hour of driving, we stopped at the outskirts of the city for breakfast, where I asked Samira:
— Tripoli is known for its Ottoman heritage, but can you tell me more about its history?
— Tripoli has a glorious past. Founded 2,500 years ago, it is one of the oldest cities to be continuously inhabited in the Levantine basin. Moreover, the area has been settled since prehistoric times, as demonstrated by the archeological evidence found in the “Abou Ali” river. Modern Tripoli started to take shape in the Middle Ages. During the “Outremer” era, the crusaders, who were mainly confined to the coastline, founded the old city of “El Mina”. A new city was built further inland by the Mamluk, who ruled Tripoli between 1289 and 1517. Today, it is known as “the old souks”. Back then, the city experienced a golden age. This legacy endures as it has the second largest collection of Mamluk architectural remains after Cairo. Afterwards, the Ottomans became the new masters of the land. During their 400-year rule, several new features were added, most famously the “El Tall” square, and its famous clock tower, which was completed during the reign of Sultan Abdel Hamid II. So, Tripoli’s Ottoman past isn’t negligeable, but there is more to the city.
— It is no secret that Tripoli is one of the most underrated cities in Lebanon and the Mediterranean coastline. So, why a Tripoli tour?
— I want to shed light on the demographic and religious diversity of the city. I want to showcase how a city can splendidly reconcile heritage and modernity. I would like to achieve that by focusing on Tripoli’s touristic assets, such as restaurants, pubs and cultural spaces, putting forward its architectural landscape, and highlighting its archaeological richness.
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Tripoli Citadel. Photo: Elie Habbaki

Our first stop in Tripoli was the Citadel, where Mariam Bachat took the lead. With her beaming energy and a passionate tone, she explained how the 12th century fortress was built in a strategic location. For the length of a visit, we travelled back in time and relived the different construction phases of this site. The Citadel was designed to be self-sufficient and impregnable, something that the countless assailants who tried and failed to capture it can attest to. Another interesting fact about the Citadel is that it houses the “North Lebanon and Akkar Museum”, that retraces the history of the region from before the Bronze Age to 1918. Visitors can find relics like flint stone arrowheads from the Epipalaeolithic period, amphoras from the Phoenician period, sculptures from the Roman period, epitaphs from the Greek period, and an impressive collection of ancient coins. We ended the visit on the Citadel’s rooftop where we enjoyed a 360-degree view of Tripoli. A stone’s throw away from us was our next stop, the only “Mawlawi Tekkiye”* in Lebanon.
There is only ten well preserved and fully restored “Mawlawi Tekkiye” in the Middle-East, and we were lucky to be hosted by Sheikh Husni Al Mawali, the Tekkiye’s custodian to tell us more about it:
"The Tekkiye is a private property that has been built by my ancestors over several phases. My family has been running it for over 400 years. The Tekkiye is a home of piety, altruism and obedience to God. It is also a school where men learn to become “Whirling Dervishes”. Each posture and gesture have a great spiritual symbolism. One hand is pointing up as a sign to praise God. The other hand is pointing down, to reaffirm that humans are from soil and dust and will go back to soil and dust. The head is tilted to show submission to God and his wishes."
There is always something heart-warming when seeing and hearing an old man sharing about his life, heritage and showing his family tree. There is always this sparkle in their eyes that makes you wonder if you will be that active at their age. After that moment of inner reflection, it was time to hit the time capsule that is the old souks.
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Mawlawi Tekkiye, Sheikh Husni Al Mawali. Photo: Elie Habbaki

Tripoli is home to over 10 interconnected souks, making it one of the largest and most well-preserved medieval markets in the Levant. A “Souk” or a “Khan” is the street where most vendors from the same craft sell their products. Therefore, Souk El Nahassin is the home of copper artisans, Souk El Sagha is the home of goldsmiths, Souk El Attarin is the home of herbs and spice sellers, Khan El Khayateen is the home of tailors and textile vendors, Khan El Saboun is home to everything related to soap making, etc.
While roaming through the souks, trying local Tripolitan delicacies was a must. All of the shops had one thing in common: their walls were covered by old pictures. A gentle clue to visitors that they are stepping in a family business that has been passed down for generations. Here are my top three places:
— The sweets of Al Hajj Nouh Al Haddad and his sons, where one should try Jazarieh, pumpkin jam mixed with nuts.
— The snack of Al Hajj Mouhamad Al Dabbousi, best for the moughrabieh sandwich and maajou’a, a treat made from fresh cheese, rose water and powdered sugar.
— Café Haraj, with traditional Lebanese ice cream and an authentic refreshing lemonade mixed with Tripolitan rose water.
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Souk. Photo: Elie Habbaki

Café Haraj is named after Souk Haraj, the market where it is located. The manager, Samer Abdel Hay, happens also to be a licensed tour guide specialized in Tripolitan archeology, so he shared with us the history of his coffee shop:
"Souk Haraj is one of the most important and oldest landmarks in the city. The Café is built on the foundations of an old Cathedral. The granite columns were brought by the Mamluk from Pharaonic temples in Cairo. At some point, this Café was used as an inn even though it wasn’t its main function. And here is a piece of trivia for you. Souk Haraj is named as such, because the plot on which it is standing was auctioned, which means “haraj” in Arabic."
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Souk; The sweets of Al Hajj Nouh Al Haddad and his sons. Photo: Elie Habbaki, Christelle EL-Daher

After this delightful detour, Helena Makhoul led us through the “street of churches”, where she explained how geopolitical tensions and relationships throughout the ages helped in building these places of worship, especially the Greek Orthodox Saint George’s Cathedral. After that we went to the “Mansouri” Mosque. Our next stop was Hamam El Abed, a functioning Turkish bath since 1718. We also paid a visit to Khan Al Saboun. By then, it was around 4 pm, we were already running late, and what was supposed to be our lunch break turned into an early dinner.
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Hamam El Abed. Photo: Christelle EL-Daher

We ended our day at Beit El Mina, a restaurant where all the proceeds are donated to a scholarship fund. And while we were enjoying our Lebanese mezza, I asked Samira:
— Tripoli also has some modern architecture elements like the “Rachid Karame Fair”. Can you tell us more about it?
— A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2023, it is one of the largest fairs in the Middle-East. Originally, it was originally called “Tripoli International Fair” (TIF). Later on, it was renamed after Rachid Karame, a former Lebanese prime minister. It is one of the few projects that Oscar Niemayer, the famous Brazilian architect, realized outside of Latin America. Back in the 1960s, Niemayer designed this complex with a modernist lens, which helped in transforming this structure into a landmark. However, the site needs constant attention and maintenance. At the moment, international donors are footing the bill. Recently, the Lebanese minister of Culture decreed that the TIF will be granted a protected status at the local level.
— And if you were the minister of tourism, what actions would you take to revive Tripoli?
— I have a five-point plan for the city. First, I would start by preparing infrastructure to make the city more comfortable for residents and visitors alike. I would also invest in safer public transportation so people can stay for longer. Secondly, I would work with the local community and NGOs to preserve historical sites and help them get funding to restore archeological monuments. Thirdly, I would put in place a long-term program to clean the “Abou Ali” river and ensure its preservation. Fourthly, I would work on putting the old souks on the world heritage list. Removing building and urban infringements would be a step towards meeting the UNESCO’s criteria checklist. And last but not least, reviving the Qlayyat airport (Akkar District, 26 km from Tripoli), thus making it a hub for low-cost airlines. This will offer new opportunities for investors to build hotels and guesthouses capable of accommodating tourists in greater numbers.
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The snack of Al Hajj Mouhamad Al Dabbousi. Photo: Elie Habbaki

It is with these words that we left the pearl of the north around 6 pm. However, there is still much more to see. Tripoli has 160 historical monuments, which would require three whole days to visit. After this wonderful day, I believe that the expression “a book is not judged by its cover” has a high degree of truism. Once you take the time to see how the city in its different aspects and interact with its residents, you see things differently. Your relationship with a place shouldn’t be defined by preconceived notions, but by your own personal experience.
* The term Mawlawi Tekkiye refers to a Sufi lodge associated with the Mevlevi Order, mystical branch of Islam founded by the followers of the 13th-century Persian poet and theologian Jalal al-Din Rumi. These lodges served as centers for spiritual practice, music, education, and communal life, and were once prominent across the Ottoman Empire.