Mansouri Great Mosque

About this place

The Mansouri Great Mosque is the most important Mamluk-era monument in Tripoli, standing in the middle of the old city near the citadel. It was the first building erected in Mamluk Tripoli, marking the start of a city whose architecture survives to this day. Local people still come here to pray, so it feels alive among the surrounding souks and khans. It was built between 1294 and 1298 on the ruins of a church from the Crusader period. The present minaret was probably part of the Church of St Mary and has Lombard elements, and the main entrance also appears to incorporate an earlier church gate. The rest of the mosque is a Muslim creation dating from after the Mamluk conquest of the city. You enter through a deep doorway of alternating white and black stone with a wooden door, into a broad stone-paved courtyard surrounded by pointed arcades. At its centre is the ablution building with its green dome, and the square minaret with paired windows rises above the rooftops. It sets the mosque apart from the minarets of other cities. It is about 200 m from the citadel and about 600 m from the Taynal Mosque, so visitors combine them on foot. As it is a working mosque, avoid prayer times, especially Friday. Dress modestly, women should cover their hair, remove your shoes before entering and ask before taking photos. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of Tripoli, so check the guidance before you go.