The arch of columns
Pointed columns before the square.
Jihelpé — CC BY 4.0 · Jihelpé — CC BY 4.0 · Jihelpé — CC BY 4.0 · RomanDeckert — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jihelpé — CC BY 4.0
The Rachid Karami International Fair is a concrete architectural complex by the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer in Tripoli. UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in January 2023 through an emergency procedure, placing it on the List of World Heritage in Danger at the same session. Today it looks like an unfinished city from the future, drawing lovers of architecture and photography. Niemeyer designed it between 1962 and 1967, after his work in Brasilia. Building began in 1967 and stopped in 1975 before it was finished. It was meant to be an international exhibition space making Tripoli a second pole in Lebanon. Its oval site holds over 15 concrete structures, and efforts to revive it have continued for years. You see a great arch of pointed columns before an open space, then the exhibition hall stretching in a long curve under a huge concrete roof. A wide low dome is mirrored with the palm trees in a shallow pool. The marks of time are plain to see on the concrete. It is about 1.6 km in a straight line from the citadel, a short drive away. We found no official visiting hours, and access may depend on the site's management, so ask at the gate. Do not climb onto roofs, and watch out for crumbling concrete. Evening has the finest light. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to parts of Tripoli, so check the guidance before you go.
Pointed columns before the square.
A long concrete roof.
A reflection at evening.
West of central Tripoli, on the road to Al-Mina, northern Lebanon
Taynal MosqueThe Taynal Mosque is among Tripoli's finest and most important mosques after the14 minutes walk
Mansouri Great MosqueThe Mansouri Great Mosque is the most important Mamluk-era monument in Tripoli, 18 minutes walk
Citadel of Raymond de Saint-GillesThe Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles is a 12th-century fortress on a hill abov20 minutes walkWe found no official hours, so it is best to ask at the gate, as access may vary.
It is among Oscar Niemeyer's major works outside Brazil and is now on the World Heritage List.