- published: 25 Aug 2010
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The County of Tripoli (1109–1289) was the last Crusader state founded in the Levant, located in what today are parts of western Syria and northern Lebanon, where exists the modern city of Tripoli. The Crusader state was captured and created by Christian forces in 1109, originally held by Bertrand of Toulouse as a vassal of Baldwin I of Jerusalem. The County of Tripoli later became a substate of the Principality of Antioch in the 13th century. In the mid-13th century, its leader Bohemond VI, under the influence of his father-in-law Hetoum I of Cilician Armenia, swore vassalage to the Mongol Empire, and contributed troops to the Mongol conquests in the region. In retaliation, the Sultan Qalawun, of the Muslim Mamluks in Cairo, attacked and destroyed both Tripoli and Antioch, absorbing the territories back into the Islamic Empire in the late 13th century. The Fall of Tripoli took place in 1289.
The existence of the County of Tripoli was due primarily to the determination of Raymond IV of Toulouse. Although one of the richest and most powerful of the crusading Princes, Raymond of Toulouse had failed to acquire any Eastern possessions in the aftermath of the First Crusade. Western Lords had been installed in Edessa, Jerusalem and Antioch and Raymond had little success in earning land from the Byzantines. Desperate for a possession in the Holy Land, he decided to take Tripoli by force. In 1103, he began preparing for an attack on the rich port, accompanied by veterans of the 1101 campaign.
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Tripoli-of-the-West (Arabic: طرابلس الغرب Ṭarābulus al-Gharb), to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean (Arabic: عروسة البحر ʼarūsat el-baḥr; lit: "bride of the sea"), describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli (English pronunciation: /ˈtrɪpɵli/) is a Greek name that means "Three Cities", introduced in Western European languages through the Italian Tripoli. In Arabic: طرابلس it is called Ṭarābulus ( pronunciation (help·info), Libyan Arabic: Ṭrābləs pronunciation (help·info), Berber: Ṭrables, from Ancient Greek: Τρίπολις Trípolis). As of 2011, the Tripoli metropolitan area (district area) had a population of 2.2 million. The city is located in the northwest part of the country on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean and forming a bay.
The city includes the Port of Tripoli and the country's largest commercial and manufacturing centre. It is also the site of the University of Tripoli. The vast Bab al-Azizia barracks, which includes the former family compound of Muammar Gaddafi, is also located in the city; Gaddafi largely ruled the country from his residence in this barracks.