Old City slowly being returned to former glory
IN ALLEYS criss-crossing the Libyan capital’s Old City, construction crews are hard at work restoring former glory to architectural treasures neglected under dictator Muammar Gaddafi and in the decade since he was killed.
The substantial restoration under way sought to “preserve the heritage of the Old City” in Tripoli, said Mahmoud al-Naas, head of the committee overseeing the project. Covering around 50 hectares, the Old City was an “architectural joy” – but this made the “enormous” work required a “heavy responsibility”, he said.
The project, funded largely by the state, comes as Libya is undergoing a tentative political renewal. A new prime minister was selected earlier this year through a UN-backed inter-Libyan dialogue to steer the country to December elections, bringing hope that unrelenting chaos since Gaddafi’s death might finally end.
Unlike past restoration work – including largely unsupervised and sometimes botched attempts in the
mid-1990s and about a decade later – latest efforts ban cement and concrete, wherever possible.
Lime-based mixtures are used to generate an authentic look during plastering, while basalt cobblestones replace tarred streets.
Built by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC, the Old City has passed from civilisation to civilisation, notably the ancient Greeks, Romans and the Ottoman empire.
When Gaddafi decided to ban private sector-led development in the late 1970s, workshops and speciality stores alike lowered their curtains for good. In an instant, know-how that had been passed down from generation
to generation was painfully rendered obsolete. A few parts of the Old City’s east side have withstood the ravages of time. The gold and silk markets still attract custom to their covered alleyways and arcades, while its citadel serves as a museum.
Then there is the famed Arch of Marcus Aurelius, its date palms and the minaret of the Gurgi Mosque.
The already refurbished waterfront at the northern edge now boasts pavements and a completed road.
“The Old City is coming back to us,” rejoiced Mohamad Nasser, whose seafront shop selling fishing and diving gear is a prime beneficiary of the restoration work.