Green Square

Scour an old, pre-revolution map of Tripoli and you're likely to find yourself a little disoriented. That's because Green Square - the hub of central Tripoli where the medina meets the traffic-filled streets of modern Tripoli - was only carved out after the 1969 revolution. Until then, the square was about half of its current size and its northeastern boundary was the waterfront - in the 1970s, around 500m of land was reclaimed to ease chronic traffic congestion.

In its early days, Green Sq was primarily for mass rallies in support of the revolution, and while it still serves this purpose, it more often serves as a car park or fairground during public holidays. Floodlit by night, always busy by day and just as often known as Martyrs' Sq, you're likely to pass through here time and again.