Citadel of Tripoli

Citadel of Tripoli
قلعة طرابلس
The citadel in 2009
Map
Former namesCastle of Mount Pilgrim
Alternative namesCastle of Saint-Gilles
General information
LocationTripoli, Lebanon
Year(s) builtbetween 1102 and 1109

The Citadel of Tripoli (Arabic: قَلْعَة طَرَابُلُس ALA-LC: Qalʻat Ṭarābulus) is a 12th-century fortress in Tripoli, Lebanon. It was built at the top of a hill "during the initial Frankish siege of the city between 1102 and 1109"[1] on the orders of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, who baptized it the Castle of Mount Pilgrim[2] (French: château du Mont-Pèlerin; Latin: castellum Montis Peregrini) while local Muslims have been referring to it as the Castle of Saint-Gilles[2] (Arabic: قَلْعَة سَان جِيل Qalʻat Sān Jīl).

However, very little of the original structure has survived, the castle having been rebuilt several times, and for the last time in the early 19th century, when the citadel was extensively restored and rebuilt by the Ottoman governor of Tripoli Mustafa Agha Barbar. The citadel nowadays houses the North Lebanon & Akkar Museum.

The Citadel of Tripoli
  1. ^ Molin, Kristian (2001). Unknown Crusader Castles. Bloomsbury. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-8264-3201-8.
  2. ^ a b Grousset, René (4 January 2023). L'épopée des croisades. Éditions Payot. ISBN 978-2-228-93253-0.