Tripoli (Trablos in Arabic) is Lebanon's second city, about 85 km north of Beirut, and arguably the most underrated destination in the country. While most visitors focus on the capital, Tripoli has extraordinary Mamluk architecture, the best souks in Lebanon, and a grittier, more traditional atmosphere that feels a world away from Beirut's cosmopolitan scene.
The city's name comes from "triple city" — it was the centre of a Phoenician confederation with Sidon, Tyre and Arados Island. The medieval old town, spreading from the foot of the Crusader-era Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, is the real draw. The covered souks are still organised by trade — jewellers, spice merchants, soap makers, goldsmiths — and feel genuinely unchanged in centuries.
The Mamluk monuments are outstanding. The Taynal Mosque and the Mansouri Great Mosque are beautifully decorated, and the Islamic schools (madrassas), khans, towers and hammams scattered through the old town testify to Tripoli's importance in the Middle Ages. The ancient Hammam Abd al-Wahid is still in operation and worth a visit. The city is also famous for its sweets — Hallab is the most renowned sweet shop, with a history stretching back to 1881.
Tripoli is predominantly Sunni Muslim and more conservative than Beirut. It is poorer too, and shows fewer signs of the reconstruction money that has flowed into the capital. But it is safe, welcoming and full of character. The seafood in the Mina (port) district is excellent, and the city makes a good base for exploring northern Lebanon and the coast toward Batroun. For architecture enthusiasts, the unfinished Rachid Karameh International Fair, designed by Oscar Niemeyer in the 1960s, is one of the most haunting modernist ruins in the Middle East.