A crystal adorned Djellaba for sale, a long, loose-fitting outer robe with full sleeves that is worn in North Africa.


The entrance to Gurgi Mosque, located in the heart of Tripoli Medina.


The mosque was commissioned by Naval Captain Mustafa Gurgi and built in 1834 during the Ottoman era.


The Clock Tower in the distance with a large, bustling crowd just below.


The crowd was people negotiating the exchange of Libyan dinars for dollars and euros. Although the dinar is officially fixed to the US dollar by the Libyan Central Bank at the rate of 1.37, Yousuf said the current black market rate was about 8 dinars to the dollar.


Credit and debit cards, both international and domestic, are no longer accepted in Libya also.

Crescents, the symbol of Islam and used to adorn the top of minarets.


Workshop.


Hammer.


At a café in the medina.


And a strong espresso for a mid-afternoon caffeine fix.


Fridge magnets for sale, despite almost zero tourists visiting the country for the last few years.


Merchant.


Shopping.


Hijab.


Slippers.


Misbaha.


Wool.


Jordan with Salem and Yousuf walking through the souq.


Drums.


Drum maker.


The flag of Libya painted on a door. Originally introduced in 1951 following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya, dropped during the Gaddafi era and reinstated follwing the 2011 Libyan Revolution.


And at the end of our very interesting and fascinating walking tour through the medina.


Libyan flags flying on the edge of Martyrs' Square on Albaladia Street.


Martyrs' Square was known as Green Square under Gaddafi, Independence Square during the monarchy and as Piazza Italia (Italy Square) during Italian colonial rule.


Libyan rebel groups took control of the area in August 2011 during the Battle of Tripoli and started referring to it as Martyrs' Square to commemorate those who died in the fight against the government.


Tripolis Festival 2017. Despite the lack of stable government and sporadic fighting still ocurring within the city, it was great to see life still carrying on with some sense of normality.


Enjoying a cup of tea beside Saraya Lake. A mother and daughter to the right were quite curious to see a couple of westerners in the city and introduced themselves and we had a bit of a chat.


Paddle boats on the lake.


Ice cream truck. We then walked east along Sharia al Fatah Street.


We heard a bit of a commotion, and after walking closer realised it was a parade of Libyan boys and girls in traditional dress.

The parade passing in front of the former Tripoli Cathedral. Opened in 1928 during the Italian Libya colonial era, it is now known as Jamal Abdul Nasser Mosque after conversion during the Gaddafi era.


The kids were all part of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.


Yousuf said that they were from throughout Libya and not just Tripoli and were wearing traditional dress from different parts of the country.


The girls wearing very elaborate dresses.


Lots of vibrant colours and adorned with gold and beads.


Normally the locals were apprehensive of people pointing a camera in their direction, but as everyone had their smartphone out taking photos and video it was much easier to also snap away without any issues.


Quite a fascinating and immersive spectacle to experience.


The parade then entered the old Governor's Palace built during the Italian Colonial era.


A sculpture of a dove made from bullet casings in front of the Palace. After independence it became the Royal Palace of Tripoli and the official residence of King Idris of Libya. After the 2011 Libyan Revolution it is now a public library.


Boy scouts in uniform.


Speeches being given outside the old Palace at the end of the procession. The parade was definitely one of those serendipitous travel experiences which we were very fortunate to encounter and enjoy!


We then walked to a Souq Dahra. A Libyan cat having a big stretch!


Pulses and spices.


The souq was built during the Italian Colonial era.


Twins.


For dinner we headed to a nearby Turkish restaurant. After the exodus from Libya of Egyptian, Morrocan and other foreign workers, it was quite a surprise to see these Turkish gentlemen still here.


I went to the bathroom to wash my hands and went to turn the tap on but nothing came out. However there were bottles of water next to the sink to use instead. Later Yousuf said that parts of Tripoli had been without water for almost a fortnight after the pro-Qaddafi militia of the Magarha tribe in the south of the country disabled a pumping station after their leader, Al-Mabrouk Ahnish, was captured and detained.

A large glass of Ayran to quench to thirst after all the walking.


And some tasty chicken döner at the end of a very interesting and immersive day of exploring Tripoli.