GREEN SQUARE (AL-SAHA AL-KHADRA)

This great place lit in the evening is the point of intersection between the old town and the old Italian quarter. When the Italians seized Tripoli there was a small market in bread (El-Khoubs souk) with a Turkish fountain and in the north an empty space giving directly onto the sea that the Italians renommèrent Piazza Castello. Italians raccordèrent both places in the 1920 s. The El-Khoubs souk (at the location of the present fountain of horses) became Piazza Italia in the early years of colonization, and the Turkish fountain was demolished. Piazza Italia gave rise to successive enlargements, which dégagèrent space in front of Tripoli Castle by dismantling the houses and barracks restored to the ramparts. In the first half of the 1930 s, the perspective on the sea was enlarged, with the construction of a monumental pontoon preceded by two large columns that can still be seen in front of the museum's door (they are surmounted by sculptures which have obviously been replaced since independence). The major manifestations of the fascist power (review of Italian troops, etc.) took place on Piazza Italia. On 18 March 1937, Mussolini, in his new self-proclaimed role as protector of Islam in the world, was photographing on horseback with a «sword of Islam» to the gold handshake, handed over by a controversial Libyan tribal leader and made in Florence! A statue of the duce wielding this sword, erected in front of the castle, was déboulonnée by the British who controlled Tripoli from 1943.

After colonization, the square was named «Martyrs'Place», and expanded and renamed «Green Square» to become one of the symbolic places of Qaddafi's revolutionary power, the latter coming to make some important speeches, such as the 1 September speech, the anniversary day of El-Fateh Revolution. Every year, the old town wall in front of the Green square is dressed up by large banners celebrating the number of years of the revolution, or a few years ago, the realization of the hydraulic work of the Great Artificial river. The arrival of the latter's waters in Tripoli on 1 September 1996 led to major demonstrations around the Green square.

In the daily life, the Green Square has served as a day park for a few years. The photographers are then relegated to the south of the square next to the fountain, where they have the large wedding chairs, the porticos with small gazelles (and sometimes even motorcycles!) to which small and large come to be taken in photo. Around the square, some drivers of carriage are waiting (mainly in the evening) for those who wish to take a small stroll towards the gardens surrounding the place des Gazelles (behind the Al-Kabir hotel) and around the old town.