TRIPOLI // In the inner court of the Turgut Pasha mosque in the Libyan capital's old medina is a low green sarcophagus, and in the sarcophagus are the bones of a pirate.
The Turkish corsair Turgut Reis helped capture the city for the Ottoman empire in 1551, wresting it back to Islam from the Knights Hospitaller after four decades of Christian rule.
"The tomb of Turgut is a kind of relic," said Walid al Masri, a local imam visiting the mosque on a recent Friday for the midday prayer. "It's just one reason why more must be done to protect holy places here."
Such historic buildings help make Tripoli's medina a monument to Libya's past, while crumbling architecture and an influx of poor migrants reflect modern problems. With state restoration plans afoot, residents hope to see the neighbourhood flourish again. Skyscrapers are rising along Tripoli's waterfront as Libya mends ties with western countries and the economy gathers speed. But the medina has fallen into disrepair.
Founded in the seventh century BC by Phoenician traders, the city passed through Roman, Vandal and Byzantine hands before Libya's conquest in the late seventh century by Arab armies that brought Islam to North Africa.
The advent of Ottoman rule saw Turgut strengthen the medina as governor before succumbing to cannon-fire at the siege of Malta in 1565. Twentieth-century Italian colonisers added the neoclassical arcades of the city's modern downtown.
In 1969, Libya's leader, Moammar Qadafi, toppled its pro-western monarchy and set up a system of committees with himself as "brother leader and guide of the revolution".
Libyan support for militant groups under Mr Qadafi led to United Nations sanctions in 1992, which were lifted in 2003 after Libya surrendered suspects in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and renounced its quest for nuclear weapons. US sanctions, dating back to 1986, were lifted the following year.
With cash flowing again, Libya's government is developing infrastructure such as roads, airports and commercial districts. Medina residents are eager for more state spending in their neighbourhood, too.
"The streets need to be paved, and everywhere power lines are exposed," said Abdelhamid el Shemaa, a retired mechanic, leaning from his kitchen window near the Turgut Pasha mosque. Born in Syria to Libyan parents, Mr el Shemaa and his wife have lived in the medina since 1976. "But none of our children live here anymore, they all wanted larger, more comfortable houses," he said.
In the alley below, a rubbish collector was manoeuvring his pushcart through the mud of a winter rain.
"The municipality picks up the rubbish, that's a good start," Mr el Shemaa said. "But other improvements should go faster, and houses must be made beautiful again."
While Mr el Shemaa's building is intact, the one opposite is an abandoned shell, with fallen masonry visible through the sockets of windows.
Libya's government hopes that a planned restoration programme will breathe life back into the medina.
"Restoring the urban fabric of the old city is like silversmithing: you go part by part," said Ahmed Imbeis, an architecture professor at Tripoli's Al Fateh University and consultant to the Engineering Consulting Office for Utilities, a state agency that is planning the medina's restoration.
The agency proposes advancing in stages, paving streets and expanding the electricity grid before refurbishing the medina's gates and main streets, Mr Imbeis said. However, too piecemeal an approach could risk damaging the medina's complex architecture, said Ron Packman, a London architect and restoration expert who has studied the neighbourhood.
"Buildings of various ages have relapsed against one another," he said. "If you start working on one building, whatever you do could adversely affect those around it."
Mr Packman hopes to undertake an archaeological survey and restoration of the medina's Al Naqa mosque, believed to date to the seventh century. "We have to let archaeology take precedent, but it will inform the restoration process," he said. He believes that proper planning "can keep the community going and preserve a medieval street pattern that is still living".
Those streets also reflect 21st-century realities, as Libyan homeowners are replaced by thousands of mainly sub-Saharan migrants. One such newcomer is Mehdi Hisian Omar, 25, a lanky Sudanese day labourer, who works at building sites.
In 2006, he was walking to evening prayer in the town of El Geneina in Darfur when eight Janjaweed horsemen appeared, spraying bullets, he said. Shot through the chest, he was treated at a United Nations clinic. A year later, with his family scattered and his father arrested for alleged ties to Sudan's political opposition, Mr Omar fled to Tripoli.
"I came here to the medina because the rent is cheap," he said. "My goal was to earn some money and find my family. I still have this goal, but no success."
Meanwhile, Mr el Shemaa's family is reunited most weekends when his children and grandchildren visit.
"There's a strong sense of community here, and my kids still feel attached," he said. He withdrew from his window to the living room, where his grandson, Ramy, was playing computer games beneath a medieval arch. "That's the medina," Mr el Shemaa said, motioning towards the boy. "The ancient and the modern under the same roof."
jthorne@thenational.ae
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
Getting%20there
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The view from The National
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
The%20specs
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The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
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Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20profile
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
The Specs:
The Specs:
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
Torque: 600Nm
Price: AED 356,580 incl VAT
On sale: now.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Company%20Profile
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
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The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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