Rachid Karami International Fair by Oscar Niemeyer — Attraction in Tripoli

Free entry, apparently local people who are not rich are not allowed to enter, a man will stop you at the entry and ask you if you have a big camera, he might say that taking pictures with your mobile phone is ok but not with a camera. Very strange conversation. This is apparently to stop locals (poor) to go inside this beautiful big space. There is a very well kept garden, big trees and not that much plastic or garbage on the floor. As far as I know there are no public toilets inside, you should watch your step and be careful because this place was not finished, it stopped being built in 1975 when the Lebanese civil war started and the buildings have not yet being (until now) repaired or taken care of in anyway, so be careful. You will find rich people walking their dogs and just walking fast or jogging. It is a very calm space, with no cars, no noises and very close to the...

Any Architecture lover should visit this beautiful example of Oscar Niemeyer's style and approach to public spaces. This space deserves to be fully restored and enjoyed by the people of Tripoli as it was intended ( so no private projects please!). The domed lecture theatre is easily my favourite and has amazing acoustics even in it's current shell form. This is Niemeyer on a human scale, contrary to the insanity of Brasilia. One hopes UNESCO and the Lebanese government make work of this. The greenery is already...

Maarad aka Rachid Karami International Fair

During his exile years, the famous modernist Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer got one commission from the Middle East: he designed 15 structures spread out on a 10 000 hectare site in Tripoli. These include an Exhibition Center, a Space Museum, a Dome referred to by Tripolitan children as ‘space ship’ in Arabic, a huge Arch, an...