Celebration, Regeneration and Ramadan

One of the first things that you realize on arriving in the Tripoli is the complete absence of advertising. However, Libya does have advertising boards. These are used to celebrate the number of the years since the revolution which occurred on September 1st 1969. These advertising boards are everywhere and in the last week of August a flurry of activity took place as the posters celebrating 37 years of the revolution gave way to those celebrating 38 years.

The streets around the city centre and all the main buildings are all decorated with lights, flags and bunting and all companies hang flags and banners celebrating the revolution. The celebrations reach a climax on September 1st with a parade in Green Square in the centre of Tripoli.

Regeneration
Whilst at work several weeks ago we heard a loud explosion and looked the window of the office to see a block of flats across from the office collapsing in a cloud of smoke. These flats had been demolished to make way for a series of new skyscrapers that are to be built along the waterfront.

Tripoli is undergoing a period of regeneration. The area west of the Corinthia Hotel complex is being gradually cleared to make way for a series of new skyscrapers that are to be built along the Tripoli waterfront and will become the business hub for Tripoli. The main market area – Souk Talat has been relocated and the old site flattened will become a green belt and eventually an international train station we are told. The international airport is to be rebuilt. Every wall along the airport road has been demolished. All the buildings on the waterfront at the Matega fish markets have been demolished and the fish market is to be relocated in the near future too. The one thing that amazes me is how quickly the old buildings are demolished and the site is cleared. Tripoli is going to be a very different place in a few years. The photo below is the current view of what will become the new business district.

And one of the boards showing the new skyscrapers to be built in the area.

Ramadan
This month is Ramadan – the Muslim month of fasting and prayer. In Ramadan Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight hours. The fast is broken at sunset with a large meal taken with your family called itfah. Consequently the hour before sunset the roads are absolutely packed with people speeding home for this meal and then stopping at bakeries for fresh bread. Try to avoid the roads with the bakeries! The Libyan’s call this drive home as the ‘soup race’ because everyone is racing home for the meal which normally starts with a traditional Libyan soup and bread. The photo below is taken at 7.30pm just near our house. Normally at this time the road would be heaving with traffic.

Ramadan ends late next week with the festival of Eid which is three days of public holiday. We will both be out of the country but have been told there will be many celebrations - lots of late nights and fireworks.

The Desert Rat