From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Martyrs' Square, Tripoli

Square in Tripoli, Libya

Summary

Square in Tripoli, Libya

Field	Value
name	Martyrs' Square
ميدان الشهداء
Maydān ash-Shuhadā'
image_place	Green Square Tripoli.jpg
image_caption	The Martyrs' Square (then known as "Green Square") in 2007
features	fountain
location	Intersection of Independence Street, Omar Mukhtar Avenue, 24 December Avenue and Mizran Street
address2	Tripoli, Libya
place_type	Neighborhood
coordinates
dedicated_to	2011 Battle of Tripoli

ميدان الشهداء Maydān ash-Shuhadā'

The Martyrs' Square ( ar); known as Green Square (الساحة الخضراء ar) under the Gaddafi government; Independence Square (ميدان الاستقلال ar) during the monarchy; and originally (during Italian colonial rule) known as Piazza Italia ("Italy Square") is a downtown landmark at the bay in the city of Tripoli, Libya. The main commercial center of the city surrounds the square. The Square is also a main tourist attraction in Tripoli. It has a large legendary fountain designed by an Italian architect at the centre of the square. The square is the meeting point of many different avenues. Omar Mukhtar Avenue is one of the longest in North Africa, it was built by Italians in the colonial time, and Libyans during the era of King Idris I. Independence Street branches from the square too, and it leads to the Palace of King Idris I. 24 December Avenue is also an Italian built avenue. Mizran Street is the last street that branches from the Martyrs' Square.

History

1935 postcard of Tripoli's ''Conte Volpi Corniche'', the entrance to ''Piazza Italia'' visible on the right, with the ''Teatro Miramare'' behind. The old shoreline and seawall is on the left, before moving by landfill expansions.

Red Castle]] and the [[Royal Miramare Theatre]] (lower left side) during the 1950s.

The square was originally constructed by the Italian colonial rulers on the site of the old bread market (sūq al-khubs), and it was expanded on several occasions during the 1930s.

During the Italian colonial period, it was called Piazza Italia ("Italy Square"). After Libyan independence in 1951, it was known as "Independence Square" during the Libyan monarchy (1951–1969). After the 1969 revolution by Gaddafi, the square was renamed again to "Green Square" to mark his political philosophy in his Green Book.

2011 Libyan civil war

On the night of 21–22 August, Libyan rebel groups took control of the area during the 2011 Battle of Tripoli and started referring to it as Martyrs' Square to dissociate the square from the Gaddafi government and to commemorate those who died in the fight against his government. On Eid ul-Fitr (31 August) and again on 2 September, tens of thousands of Tripoli residents, including many women and children, gathered on Martyrs' Square to celebrate the end of Gaddafi's rule.

Facilities

It features the Red Castle (As-saraya Al-hamra), which hosts Libya's Antiquities Department and the National Museum with a collection of Phoenician, Greek and Roman artefacts. The museum also exhibits a statue of Venus from the Hadrianic Baths at Leptis, a complete Libyan-Roman tomb from the Ghirza region, and a colourful Volkswagen Beetle used by Colonel Gaddafi leading up to the revolution. On the other side, a wide avenue leading towards the seafront with two tall pillars. On top of the pillars are an iron-cast, miniature wooden ship; the other one features a horseback rider.

The Royal Miramare Theatre used to be located across from the Red Castle, but it was demolished by Gaddafi's government after the 1960s to create space for large demonstrations.

References

The Independent, 31 August 2011. Gaddafi Son Offers to Surrender "..in Martyrs Square, the plaza ''formerly known'' as Green Square.." [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaddafi-son-offers-to-surrender-2346881.html]
[https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2011/sep/13/mustafa-abdel-jalil] Jalil's speech in Martyrs Square, The Guardian, 13 September 2011
"Libya Tripoly from Libyaonline.com". Libyaonline.com.
(22 August 2011). "The symbolic importance of Green Square".
"Libyans turn out big, then celebrate historic election".
Staff (28 August 2011). [http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16057919 "Sky Correspondent On 'Amazing' Tripoli Scenes"]. [[Sky News]]. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
Garcia-Navarro, Lourdes (24 August 2011). [https://www.npr.org/2011/08/24/139925668/libyan-rebels-struggle-to-impose-order-on-tripoli "Libyan Rebels Struggle To Impose Order on Tripoli"]. [[NPR]]. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
[http://www.euronews.net/2011/08/31/joyful-crowds-pack-martyrs-square-in-tripoli/ Joyful crowds pack Martyrs’ Square in Tripoli]{{Dead link. (December 2025)
[http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/08/20118311239624334.html Tripoli celebrates first post-Gaddafi Eid], Al Jazeera, 31 August 2011.
(23 September 2021). "The Libya-Italy archaeological exhibition opened in Red Castle yesterday – before moving to Benghazi in January".
Chris Bradley. (9 March 2006). "Gateway to ancient wonders".

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

national-squares squares-in-libya tripoli,-libya tripoli-in-the-libyan-civil-war-(2011)

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Martyrs' Square, Tripoli — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report