Tripoli (Standard Arabic: طرابلس Ṭarābulus, and Arabic: طَرَابُلُس [1] Trâblos,[2] Greek: Τρίπολις Tripolis) is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back to the 14th century BC. Tripoli is home to the easternmost port in Lebanon, and holds offshore a remarkable string of four small islands, the only surviving islands of Lebanon. The largest of these islands, the Island of Palm Trees, has been declared a protected reserve by UNESCO in 1992 for its rich ecosystem of green sea turtles and rare birds.
In ancient times, it was the center of a Phoenician confederation which included Tyre, Sidon and Arados, hence the name Tripoli, meaning "triple city" in Greek. Later, it was controlled successively by the Assyrian Empire, Persian Empire, Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Caliphate, the Seljuk Empire, Crusader States, the Mamluks, the Ottoman Empire and France. The Crusaders established the County of Tripoli there in the twelfth century.
With the formation of Lebanon, Tripoli once equal in economic and commercial importance to Beirut, was cut off from its traditional trade relations with the Syrian interior and declined in relative prosperity.[3] With an overwhelming majority of Sunni Muslims (approximately 80%), Tripoli is known as the stronghold of Sunni Muslims, but has minorities such as Alawite Muslims, Greek Orthodox, and Maronite Christians.[4]
The city borders El Mina, the port of the Tripoli District, which it is geographically conjoined with to form the greater Tripoli conurbation.
