Red Castle Museum

Overlooking the harbour of Tripoli, this sprawling fortress known as the Assaraya al-Hamra has guarded the city since medieval times and now serves as its principal museum. Behind russet ramparts lie courtyards, chambers and a rich archaeological collection tracing Libya's Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Islamic past. Statuary, mosaics and everyday artefacts drawn from sites such as Leptis Magna and Sabratha fill its galleries. Rising at the edge of the old medina, the castle is the dominant historic landmark of the Libyan capital.