Mahdia - Black Gate

(Local Name: Skifa el Kahla) The entrance to the old town of Mahdia is through the town gate, the Skifa el Kahla (Black Gate) or Bab Zouila. The gatehouse with its 44m/144ft long entrance passage was formerly incorporated in the 11m/36ft thick wall, 175m/190yds long, which crossed the peninsula. The present gate is not the original Fatimid structure but was rebuilt in 1554 after the destruction of Mahdia by the Spaniards, using stone from the Fatimid fortress. Of the original round towers, on polygonal bases, which stood at the north and south ends of the wall there remain only stumps at the north end. The residential quarter of Zouila lay to the west of the fortress. Here too were the souks, of which no trace now remains. Views

From the roof of the gatehouse there are fine views of the Medina, extending to the tip of the peninsula, the modern Harbor and, to the southwest, the new town. The steps leading up to the roof are on the inner side of the gate, to the rear of the Town Hall (Municipalité). The gate leads into Rue Obaid Allah el Mahdi, on the left-hand side of which is a small covered souk. On the opposite side of the street is the entrance to Dar el Himma, a small Silk Museum (at present closed for renovation).