Tripolitania is a historic region of western Libya, centered around the coastal city of Tripoli.

This 1-lire airmail stamp, depicting an Arab horseman pointing to an airplane passing overhead, was used in 1937.

The region was originally inhabited by Berbers; in the 7th century BC Phoenicians settled in colonies along the coast, which later came under the control of Carthage. Numidia captured it in 146 BC, then the Romans came a century later, under whom Tripolitania became a prosperous area. The Vandals took over in 435, and were in turn supplanted by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century. The Arabs swept through in the 7th century. The Ottoman Turks took charge in 1553, and kept it as the "vilayet of Tripoli" until 1911, when it was captured by Italy in the Turko-Italian War.

Italy officially granted autonomy after the war, but gradually occupied the region. Originally administered as part of a single colony, Tripolitania was its own colony from 26 June 1927 to 3 December 1934, when it was merged into "Libya".

Postage stamps

20c value of the "Virgil 2000th anniversary" issue, 1930

Beginning with the "Propagation of the Faith" issue in October 1923, Italy issued both its regular and commemorative postage stamps overprinted "Tripolitania" in various typefaces. The first stamps inscribed for the colony were the semi-postal Colonial Institute issue in 1926, followed by several sets of airmail stamps, from 1931 to 1933. October 1934 saw the only regular Tripolitanian stamps issued, a set of six (along with six more airmail) promoting the 2nd Colonial Arts Exhibition.

Most Tripolitanian stamps are today available to collectors for about two to five US$, with genuinely used stamps (fake cancels are common) being valued at about twice as much as unused stamps. Most valuable are the Graf Zeppelin set of 1933 in used condition, which will run about US$400 for the set of six.