Habitation of the site of Tripoli goes back to at least the 14th century B.C., but it wasn't until about the 9th century B.C. that the Phoenicians established a small trading station there. Later, under the Persians, it was home to the confederation of the Phoenician city states of Saida (Sidon), Sour (Tyre), and Arados Island. Built on the trade and invasion route near the Abu Ali River, Tripoli's strategic position was enhanced by offshore islands, natural ports, and access to the interior.

Under the successors of Alexander the Great during the Hellenistic period, Tripoli was used as a naval shipyard. There is also evidence that it enjoyed a period of autonomy at the end of the Seleucid era (305-64 B.C).

Under Roman rule, starting with the takeover of the area by Roman General Pompey in 64-63 B.C., the city flourished, and during this period the Romans built several monuments here. The Byzantine city of Tripoli, which by then extended to the south, was destroyed, along with other Mediterranean coastal cities, by an earthquake and tidal wave in 551 A.D.

After 635 A.D., Tripoli became a commercial and shipbuilding center under the Umayyads. It achieved semi-independence under the Fatimid Dynasty, when it developed into a center of learning. At the beginning of the 12th century the Crusaders laid siege to the city, finally entering it in 1109. The conquest caused extensive destruction, including the burning of Tripoli's famous library, the Dar II-‘IIm ("House of Knowledge"), with its thousands of volumes.

During the Crusaders' 180-year rule the city was the capital of the “Country of Tripoli.” But Crusader Tripoli fell in 1289 to the victorious Mamluke Sultan Qalaoun, who ordered the old port city (today Al-Mina) destroyed and a new city built inland near the old castle. It was at this time that numerous religious and secular buildings were erected, many of which still survive today.

During the long Turkish Ottoman rule (1516-1918) Tripoli retained its prosperity and commercial importance, and in these years more buildings were added to the city's architectural wealth.

Archaeological Excavations
Tripoli has not been extensively excavated because the ancient site lies buried beneath the modern city of Al-Mina. However, a few accidental finds are now in museums. Excavations in Al-Mina revealed part of an ancient southern port quay and a necropolis from the end of Hellenistic period. Excavations made in Crusader castle uncovered Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Byzantine, and Fatimid remains.