OK . . . everyone's been nagging me, both on and offline, about what has been keeping me busy these days. Well, one of the things that I've been up to is having another look into the castle - the Saray el Hamra - that is located in Tripoli's medina next to the Green Square. Part of it has been turned into a museum which is open to the public, but the other parts of the castle are closed to the general public. These parts contain offices of the Archiological Society and and currently many parts of the castle are being restored.
It was a hot morning but the atmosphere inside the castle was cool and calm. The hustle and bustle of downtown Tripoli was not heard. It was so peaceful to walk through the castle. You could almost feel the spirits of the past lingering in every corner.
There are old water wells scattered throughout the castle. Here you can see a well. I wonder how many buckets of water did it take to create the grooves made by the rope?
There are various types of fountains and tiles throughout the castle.
Arches . . . doorways . . . and steps . . . the place is like a maze!
The castle was continually being added to throughout it's history. There are many styles of columns used in the castle. Some were brought in from Leptis Magna and Sabratha and recycled in the Turkish period.
The Turks often used the crecent symbol in their designs.
Lot's of restoration is needed. Here's a sample of new tiles.
This is a view from one of the offices located inside the castle.
An amazing amount of archives are stored inside. Maps, designs, pictures. Some very old and some new.
I was really impressed with the amount of information. . . rooms and rooms of it all.
This was guarding a doorway in a courtyard.
