The Old British Consulate building, west of the Gurgi Mosque on Shari Hara Kbira, was first constructed in 1744 as a residence for Ahmed Pasha (the founder of the Karamanli dynasty) during the final phase of his reign (1711-45). From the second half of the 18th century until 1940, it was the office of the British consul. In addition to iplomatic representation, the consul's representatives used their position to launch expeditions into the Sahara with an eye on lucrative trade routes.
On a plaque outside the entrance, this history is, not without some justification, viewed with unconcealed anger. It claims that 'the so-called European geographical and exploratative scientific expeditions to Africa, which were in essence and as a matter of fact intended to be colonial ones to occupy and colonise vital and strategic parts of Africa, embarked from this same building'. The consulate also provided a place of refuge for the expatriate community during various invasions and was the unofficial centre of the diplomatic community in Tripoli.
