Rixos Al Nasr
Encyclopedia
The Rixos Al Nasr is a five star hotel
in Tripoli, Libya. Owned by the Turkish
-based Rixos Hotels group, it is located in the center of Tripoli, at one corner of Tarabulus Zoo Park
. Opened on the 12 March 2010, amongst its first guests was the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afewerki
. The hotel has two floors built on timber, and is surrounded by a garden that backs on to Tripoli's biggest parkland. All external surfaces of the hotel building are covered with green plants.
Aimed at business people, the hotel features a SPA certified wellness centre, indoor swimming pool, restaurants and an attached shopping center. It became more widely known in the 2011 Libyan civil war
for accommodating foreign journalists.
, a Libya
n postgraduate law student, made headlines when she burst into the restaurant of the hotel and told the international press corps there that Libyan troops had beaten and gang-raped her. Her public statement challenged both the Gaddafi government and the taboo against discussing sex crimes in Libya.
The hotel became internationally renowned over the course of the Libyan civil war
and particularly during the Battle of Tripoli
. Before the battle, the hotel had been the site from which the official government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim
, addressed the media and made statements on behalf of the Gaddafi government. Colonel Gaddafi himself was interviewed from the hotel by journalists from CNN, BBC, and Sky News. Gaddafi's surprise and unexpected appearance at the hotel caught journalists off guard and has raised questions over secret passageways from the hotel to Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia
compound not far from the building with a Sky News journalist commenting on a 'series of oddly placed air vents' and 'plenty of raised grass (which) was enough to get the more imaginative minds going.' He also remarked that, 'over the months it (the Rixos Al Nasr) has become as infamous as Saigon's Caravelle, Sarajevo's Holiday Inn, and Baghdad's Al Rashed.'
Since the outbreak of the Libyan civil war, foreign journalists were obliged to stay in the hotel during the conflict and were effectively under house arrest, not being allowed to leave without strict government minders.
During the Battle of Tripoli
, the hotel, as well as Muammar Gaddafi's residence at Bab al-Azizia
, remained a stronghold of the government on 22 August, while rebels quickly captured much of the rest of the city. Journalists were not allowed to leave the hotel by government forces, and were described as being used as "human shield
s".
From 21 August, the hotel suffered power cuts and was deserted by government minders as fighting broke out around the building. Despite still being under the control of armed Gaddafi loyalists, the hotel was no longer properly staffed by 23 August, and many had fled as fighting erupted around the building. It was one of the last places in Tripoli under control from Gaddafi loyalists and housed an estimated thirty five foreign journalists on 24 August. According to a report from a BBC journalist from within the hotel, the building contained American journalist and cameramen, British journalists and cameramen, a former delegate to the United States Congress, members of ITN (one of whom had an AK47 pointed at him by a guard), and an Indian parliamentarian 'unable to leave the hotel on our own free will'. On 24 August, around 4:30 pm local time, the guards capitulated following negotiations facilitated by the Red Cross
, and the foreign journalists were allowed to drive away.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
in Tripoli, Libya. Owned by the Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
-based Rixos Hotels group, it is located in the center of Tripoli, at one corner of Tarabulus Zoo Park
Tarabulus Zoo Park
Tarabulus Zoo Park is a park in Tripoli, Libya, located to the south of Tripoli city center. Tripoli Zoo is in the south-west corner of the park, and the Rixos Al Nasr hotel is situated in its south-east corner....
. Opened on the 12 March 2010, amongst its first guests was the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki
Isaias Afewerki is the first and current President of Eritrea, attaining that status when he led the Eritrean People's Liberation Front to victory in May 1991, thus ending the 30-year old armed liberation struggle that the Eritrean people refer to as "Gedli".-Early life and rise to power:Afewerki...
. The hotel has two floors built on timber, and is surrounded by a garden that backs on to Tripoli's biggest parkland. All external surfaces of the hotel building are covered with green plants.
Aimed at business people, the hotel features a SPA certified wellness centre, indoor swimming pool, restaurants and an attached shopping center. It became more widely known in the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
for accommodating foreign journalists.
Role in the 2011 Libyan civil war
The hotel was used to host foreign journalists and press conferences were held there. In March 2011, Iman al-ObeidiIman al-Obeidi
Iman al-Obeidi is a Libyan postgraduate law student. She first received worldwide media attention during the 2011 Libyan civil war, when she burst into the restaurant of the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli and told the international press corps there that Libyan troops had beaten and gang-raped her...
, a Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
n postgraduate law student, made headlines when she burst into the restaurant of the hotel and told the international press corps there that Libyan troops had beaten and gang-raped her. Her public statement challenged both the Gaddafi government and the taboo against discussing sex crimes in Libya.
The hotel became internationally renowned over the course of the Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
and particularly during the Battle of Tripoli
Battle of Tripoli (2011)
The Battle of Tripoli was a military confrontation in Tripoli, Libya, between loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime leader of Libya, and the National Transitional Council, which was attempting to overthrow Gaddafi and take control of the capital...
. Before the battle, the hotel had been the site from which the official government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim
Moussa Ibrahim
Moussa Ibrahim is a Libyan political figure, serving as Libyan Minister of Information and the official spokesman for Muammar Gaddafi as of March 2011. He came to general international attention during the 2011 Libyan civil war.-Biography:...
, addressed the media and made statements on behalf of the Gaddafi government. Colonel Gaddafi himself was interviewed from the hotel by journalists from CNN, BBC, and Sky News. Gaddafi's surprise and unexpected appearance at the hotel caught journalists off guard and has raised questions over secret passageways from the hotel to Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia
Bab al-Azizia
Bab al-Azizia was a military barracks and compound, situated in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, the capital of Libya. It served as the main base for the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi until its capture by anti-Gaddafi rebels on 23 August 2011, during the Battle of Tripoli in the Libyan...
compound not far from the building with a Sky News journalist commenting on a 'series of oddly placed air vents' and 'plenty of raised grass (which) was enough to get the more imaginative minds going.' He also remarked that, 'over the months it (the Rixos Al Nasr) has become as infamous as Saigon's Caravelle, Sarajevo's Holiday Inn, and Baghdad's Al Rashed.'
Since the outbreak of the Libyan civil war, foreign journalists were obliged to stay in the hotel during the conflict and were effectively under house arrest, not being allowed to leave without strict government minders.
During the Battle of Tripoli
Battle of Tripoli (2011)
The Battle of Tripoli was a military confrontation in Tripoli, Libya, between loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime leader of Libya, and the National Transitional Council, which was attempting to overthrow Gaddafi and take control of the capital...
, the hotel, as well as Muammar Gaddafi's residence at Bab al-Azizia
Bab al-Azizia
Bab al-Azizia was a military barracks and compound, situated in the southern suburbs of Tripoli, the capital of Libya. It served as the main base for the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi until its capture by anti-Gaddafi rebels on 23 August 2011, during the Battle of Tripoli in the Libyan...
, remained a stronghold of the government on 22 August, while rebels quickly captured much of the rest of the city. Journalists were not allowed to leave the hotel by government forces, and were described as being used as "human shield
Human shield
Human shield is a military and political term describing the deliberate placement of civilians in or around combat targets to deter an enemy from attacking those targets. It may also refer to the use of civilians to literally shield combatants during attacks, by forcing the civilians to march in...
s".
From 21 August, the hotel suffered power cuts and was deserted by government minders as fighting broke out around the building. Despite still being under the control of armed Gaddafi loyalists, the hotel was no longer properly staffed by 23 August, and many had fled as fighting erupted around the building. It was one of the last places in Tripoli under control from Gaddafi loyalists and housed an estimated thirty five foreign journalists on 24 August. According to a report from a BBC journalist from within the hotel, the building contained American journalist and cameramen, British journalists and cameramen, a former delegate to the United States Congress, members of ITN (one of whom had an AK47 pointed at him by a guard), and an Indian parliamentarian 'unable to leave the hotel on our own free will'. On 24 August, around 4:30 pm local time, the guards capitulated following negotiations facilitated by the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
, and the foreign journalists were allowed to drive away.