Plan de la Ville de Tripoli

Original antique engraving representing an aerial view of the city of Tripoli, made by Sébastien Pontault de Beaulieu and published in Paris around 1690. The image shows the urban layout of Tripoli with its fortifications, castles, palaces, and mosques, offering a detailed perspective of the city’s military and religious architecture. This engraving depicts the attack by the King’s Naval Fleet commanded by Marshal d’Estrées on June 22, 1685. This type of aerial view, also called a perspective plan, allows observation of both the street layout and the elevation of the main buildings. The view was created in the context of Mediterranean expeditions and conflicts at the end of the 17th century, when European powers maintained constant interest in North African ports. Sébastien Pontault de Beaulieu (1612-1674) was a French engineer and cartographer specialized in city plans and fortifications, whose work continued to be published after his death. Copper engraving.