Al-Mina Port District
Explore Al-Mina, the port district of Tripoli on its own peninsula, where Venetian and Ottoman architecture lines the waterfront, fishing boats fill the harbor, and the Palm Islands nature reserve lies just offshore.
- 1
Al-Mina Waterfront
Walk the Al-Mina waterfront promenade where the fishing harbor, restaurants, and cafes face the Mediterranean, the atmosphere of this working port neighborhood different from the commercial intensity of the old city four kilometers inland.
- 2
Venetian Towers
See the remaining Venetian towers that once fortified the port approach, the circular towers built by Venetian merchants who controlled the Tripoli trade before the Ottoman conquest, now preserved amid the modern port development.
- 3
Fish Market
Visit the early morning fish market where the night's catch from the Mediterranean is auctioned to restaurant buyers and retail customers, the chaotic auction scene a window into the working life of this fishing port.
- 4
Palm Islands View
Look out from the Al-Mina shore toward the Palm Islands offshore, the Lebanese nature reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site where sea turtles nest and migratory birds rest, accessible by boat from the port.
- 5
Ottoman Caravanserai
Find the Ottoman caravanserai in Al-Mina where merchants arriving by sea warehoused their goods before the onward journey, the building now repurposed but its historic function visible in the scale and organization of the spaces.
- 6
Sunset Seafood Dinner
Dine at a seafood restaurant on the Al-Mina waterfront for the classic Tripoli experience of fresh Mediterranean fish grilled simply and served with mezze as the sun sets over the sea and the lights of the port come on.