Ahmed Pasha Karamanli Mosque

This large mosque in the Tripoli medina was founded in the early eighteenth century by the ruler who established the Karamanli dynasty. Its prayer hall is roofed by a forest of small domes carried on arches, and its walls are faced with glazed tiles and carved stone. An adjoining mausoleum holds the tombs of the dynasty's founders. The octagonal minaret marks the building across the surrounding rooftops. As one of the grandest Ottoman-era mosques in Libya, it reflects the ambition of the family that governed Tripoli for over a century.