Secrets of The Foundational Paintings of The Karamanli Era Mosques in The Old City of Tripoli (1711-1835 Ad)

Abstract

The foundational paintings in the mosques of the old city of Tripoli during the Karamanli era have a distinctive architectural and artistic character, in terms of their historical texts, artistic details, as well as the variety of decorations surrounding them. These paintings are at risk of distortion and continuous obliteration due to weather, and human factors at other times, especially in light of the armed conflicts inside Libya. This study aims to show the foundational paintings in the mosques of the old city of Tripoli during the Karamanli era, and their multiple decorations, and to analyze the written texts of the foundational paintings in terms of the forms of calligraphy and the meaning. The objectives of the study are achieved in answering the main question, which is the evaluation of the foundational paintings in the mosques of the old city of Tripoli during the Karamanli period, and their various decorations. The descriptive-analytical method and the historical approach were applied. In addition to relying on field visits, this study also contributes to show one of the most prominent elements of Islamic architecture for scientific research, especially for researchers, students of archeology faculties, faculties of architecture, and faculties of art, where this study contributes in assisting students and academics in their scientific research related to the foundational paintings of the Ottoman mosques in Libya.