Medina

‘Medina’ simply means city, and medina here refers to the old city of Tripoli (not the old, old city, which was the Roman Oea, the only remnant of which is the arch I posted a picture of very early on and a few columns at a crossroads). It’s a rabbit warren of alleys and was, when we first arrived, very run down, as the photo evidences (I know I posted this one ages ago, it’s just a reminder as I start the medina series). Next time I’m there, I’ll get a photo of this same alley now – it’s been whitewashed, the road made even, the wiring tidied etc, quite the facelift and a bit of a relief in terms of the smell.

Like any city, the medina is made up of a collection of souks (markets), mosques, madrassa (schools), banks, restaurants and funduq (hotels), a prison (latest rumour: there are prison cells under the medina with people still in them), and residential areas, some grand and once used to house consulates, other less grand. You hardly ever to get to see beyond the doors into residential areas, but when you do get a glimpse, almost invariably the door opens into a lovely tiled open courtyard areas, with lots of doors coming off from there. This particular photo is of the interior of one of the consulates which now houses a science library for students and lets tourists look around for a nominal fee. It’s a pleasant two-storey building around this shady central courtyard, and could be another world from the hot and noisy alley outside.

Despite these photos, the medina is actually a busy, bustling, lively place, especially in the late afternoon/evening. I go out of my way to avoid getting people in the shots, easy to do in the early morning when everyone is still in bed. I don’t tend to go the medina often; despite its intrinsic appeal, women alone do get hassled (in the ‘oh so sexy’ way, not the getting-mugged way), making a casual wander low on the list of things-to-do.

Next time, I’ll take a look at the souks. Happy Eid everybody.