The Tripoli Center Municipality announced the launch of a public opinion survey for citizens regarding a proposal to rename two historic architectural landmarks built by Italy during its colonial era in Libya.

The landmarks in question are the Galleria Di Bono, a building designed in the Italian architectural style, located between 24 December Street and Independence Street, and Galleria Marotti, a similar building located at Bab al-Hurriya, adjacent to Omar al-Mukhtar Street in the heart of the capital.

The public survey was launched following a wave of criticism circulating on Libyan social media pages, which expressed opposition to retaining names with colonial connotations such as Di Bono and Marotti—figures associated with a shameful history for Libyans during the colonial period, marked by crimes of murder, repression, exile, and persecution of Libyans during that time.

Call to Participate in the Survey

The municipality called on all citizens and residents to participate in the survey by sharing their opinions and suggestions regarding suitable alternative names, in line with the historical and cultural context of the city of Tripoli and reflecting its cultural distinctiveness, according to a statement on its Facebook page yesterday, Friday.

It noted that citizens’ participation in this survey “represents a fundamental pillar in supporting the municipal council’s efforts to make decisions based on community engagement and reflecting the public will,” affirming that all opinions and suggestions will be taken into account within the approved procedures in this regard.

The two buildings were reopened recently following a renovation and modernization process, but retained their Italian names, which sparked a wave of criticism and rejection for perpetuating colonial symbols, along with demands to replace the names with ones of national significance.

It is also worth noting in this context that Galleria di Bono had its name changed during the previous regime, when it was renamed Al-Karama.