Sousse - Kasbah

Along Souk el Reba in Sousse and its continuation Souk el Caid is Bab el Gharbi, the west gate of the Medina. From here Boulevard Maréchal Tito (to the left) follows the outside of the Medina walls to the Kasbah, at its southwest corner.

The Kasbah was built in 859 on the site of an earlier Byzantine fortress. Its 30m/100ft high Khalef el Fata tower, named after its builder, is one of the oldest towers in the whole of North Africa. Its topmost platform is 50m/165ft above that of the Ribat and affords correspondingly more extensive views. Accordingly the Kasbah took over the military role of the Ribat, and the Khalef el Fata tower is still used as a lighthouse. Part of the Kasbah is occupied by the municipal prison