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6d ago

Libya Reopens Tripoli’s Red Castle Museum for First Time Since 2011

School groups enter now, with a full public opening planned early next year.

Fireworks explode during the reopening of the National Museum, the largest in Tripoli, after nearly 14 years of closure, in Tripoli, Libya, December 12, 2025. Libyan Government Platform/Handout via REUTERS
An artist performs during the reopening of the National Museum, the largest in Tripoli, after nearly 14 years of closure, in Tripoli, Libya, December 12, 2025. Libyan Government Platform/Handout via REUTERS
Libya's Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh opens the door during the reopening of the National Museum, the largest in Tripoli, after nearly 14 years of closure, in Tripoli, Libya, December 12, 2025. Libyan Government Platform/Handout via REUTERS
Fireworks light up the sky over the historic Red Castle (As-Saraya al-Hamra) during the reopening ceremony of the National Museum in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Dec. 12, 2025.

Overview

  • Renovations began in March 2023 under the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, culminating in the museum’s first access since the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi.
  • Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbiebah called the reopening evidence of institution-building during a ceremony marking the return of public access.
  • The 10,000-square-meter complex showcases mosaics, sculptures, coins, and artifacts from prehistoric, Roman, Greek, and Islamic eras, including millennia-old mummies from Uan Muhuggiag and Jaghbub.
  • Museum director Fatima Abdullah Ahmed said current access prioritizes school visits before the general public opening at the start of next year.
  • Authorities report 21 smuggled artifacts recovered to date, including nine returned by the United States in 2022, with negotiations ongoing for items in Spain and Austria; Libya also notes UNESCO progress with Ghadames removed from the endangered list in July.