Tripoli, Lebanon

Lebanon's second city, situated on the northern coast where a medieval Mamluk old city has survived in relatively intact condition, containing the largest concentration of Mamluk architecture in the world outside Egypt. The historic souks specialize in traditional trades — soap-making, copper working, textiles — and the Great Mosque of Tripoli, originally a Crusader cathedral, preserves fabric from multiple periods. The Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, a Crusader fortification subsequently modified by the Mamluks and Ottomans, overlooks the city from a low hill. The proximity of the old city to the port and to several ancient harbours makes Tripoli a layered archaeological setting.