By Ashraf Abdul Wahab.
Tripoli, 27 November 2013:
An historic 450-year old Ottoman shrine in Tajoura was destroyed with explosives early this morning . . .[restrict]which prime minister Ali Zeidan has condemned as an act of barbarism.
Vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice, Zeidan told a press conference:“The hands of backwardness, barbarism and terrorism try day after day to destroy the memory and history of the country”.
Despite the force of the blast, it is reported that within the shrine, the tomb of Murad Agha, the first Ottoman Empire governor in Libya in 1551, after the liberation of Tripoli from the Knights of St John, has been been little damaged.
The second deputy of Tajoura local council, Abdel-Razaq Zayani said the explosion happened between 5.30 and 6am this morning. He said that the council condemned the attack.
Murad Agha was buried beside the Great Mosque that he built, which, in terms of design and beauty, is considered one of the most important in the capital. The mosque suffered minor damage in the explosion and there are no reports of any injuries. [/restrict]
