Haidra - Byzantine Fortress

On the south side of the road through Haidra can be seen the remains of a once mighty Byzantine fortress built in the time of Justinian (527-565). The ground-plan was in the form of a parallelogram (200m/650ft by 110m/360ft), with four towers on the west side and one on the east side. The north side was rebuilt in 1840; the south side was swept away by the Oued Haidra in a flash flood some years ago. The Roman road from Carthage to Theveste ran along the north side of the fortress; on the south side was a bridge over the river carrying the road to Thala and Thelepte. Within the fortress are the remains of a small chapel with a raised apse, and at its northeast corner the remains of a building with windows, the Edifice à Fenêtres.