The Old British Consulate

The old British consulate from the interior

The Old British Consulate building, west of the Gurgi Mosque on Sharia Hara Kbira in the old town, was first constructed in 1744 as a residence for Ahmed Pashs (the founder of the Karamanli dynasty) during the final phase of his reign (1711-1745). From the second half of the 18th century until 1940, it was the office of the British consul. In addition to diplomatic representation, the consul’s representatives used their position to launch expeditions into the Sahara with an eye on lucrative trade routes. On a plaque outside the entrance, this history is, not without some justification, viewed with unconcealed anger. It claims that ̀the so-called European geographical and exploratative scientific expeditions to Africa, which were in essence and as a matter of fact intended to be colonial ones to occupy and colonise vital and strategic parts of Africa, embarked from this same building’. The consulate also provided a place of refuge for the expatriate community during various invasions and was the unofficial centre of the diplomatic community in Tripoli.

The entrance is through a large wooden door under an archway that leads to a large courtyard paved with marble. The courtyard is surrounded on all sides by a beautiful two-story building with elegant Moorish archways fronting the wide verandas, behind which are the rooms that once included consular offices as well as kitchens, servants’ quarters and bedrooms. It has a wonderful air of tranquillity. The building now houses a general scientific library.