Tunisia

Medina of Sousse

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The Medina of Sousse is the most important example of military coastal architecture from the early period of Islam.

The city flourished from the 9th century, and the oldest buildings in the historic center such as the Ribat, the Bu Fatata Mosque and the Great Mosque date from this period. They show examples of Islamic art and construction techniques in its first period. Its ribat is the oldest and most typical of this type of fortifications that were constructed along the North African coastline. They combined military and religious functions.

Community Perspective: this medina attracts lots of tourists because of its location next to the holiday resort stretch of the Tunisian coast, resulting in a less genuine experience. The Archaeological Museum (Kasbah) with a vast display of mosaics is recommended for a visit.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Medina of Sousse (ID: 498)
Country
Tunisia
Status
Inscribed 1988 Site history
History of Medina of Sousse
1988: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
  • iv
  • v
Links
UNESCO
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Urban landscape: Arabic and Middle Eastern
Travel Information
Tunisia hotspot
Tunisia hotspot
2h by train
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Connections of Medina of Sousse
Individual People
Geography
History
Architecture
  • Medina
    "With the Medina of Monastir, it constitutes the unique prototype of military coastal architecture of the first centuries of Islam that has been passed down to us. Several monuments of the medina bear witness to this robust, ascetic and imposing architecture, notably the Ribat, the Great Mosque, the Bou Ftata Mosque, the Kasbah and the ramparts. " (OUV)
  • Domes
    • One notable structural feature is the small freestone dome located above the entrance porch. The circular dome rises from an octagonal base supported by squinches. This dome is the oldest of its kind in existence, and a precursor to the dome of the nearby Great Mosque of Kairouan (Archnet)

    See www.archnet.org

  • Moorish architecture
    Great Mosque (9th century, "The prayer hall has 13 naves separated by rows of horseshoe arches"), Ribat (9th century)
Damaged
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
Human Activity
  • Sea Ports
    "was an important commercial and military port during the Aghlabid period (800–909)" (Official description)
Constructions
Timeline
  • Built in the 7th century
    "Although Sousse had Phoenecian, Roman, Vandal and Byzantine manifestations nothing of these remained after its capture and complete destruction by the Arabs. It was rebuilt (albeit with reclaimed Byzantine materials) as a completely new city with its current name in the late 7C. It became ..an important commercial and military port during the Aghlabid period (800-909) and is a typical example of a town dating from the first centuries of Islam" (AB). Only the 'Ribat' (a dual purpose Fort-Monastery) remains from that initial rebuilding period. Other extant structures within the Medina were constructed in the following century e.g The Bu Ftata and Great Mosques.
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First published: 27/01/25.

Andrew_Kerr

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Sousse (Inscribed)

Medina of Sousse by Andrew_Kerr

There are a couple of component parts to the Medina that warrant a visit in their own right. 
The Ribat, an impressive fort dating from the 8th century that is surprisingly complete and perfectly maintained. The site can be visited including the tower.
The Great Mosque of Sousse (picture) dates from the 9th century and is impressive in it's size and layout. It doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a mosque, a domed building with a slender minaret, it is squat and rectangular and has a defensive nature to it being enclosed behind formidable walls with round towers on the corners surrounding a tranquil and elegant inner courtyard.
And the Medina itself with it's own defensive walls and tower and magnificent city gates make it one of the most interesting places in Tunisia.

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First published: 12/12/22.

Christravelblog

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Sousse (Inscribed)

Medina of Sousse by Christravelblog

The Medina of Sousse is a beautiful example of a walled ancient city core (a medina) which characteristics are the narrow streets. There are beautiful, mainly blue with some yellow, coloured houses which reminded me a bit of the Spanish colonial houses I saw in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Completely different of course but somehow it reminded me.

I visited the archaeological museum first because it has the famous mosaic with the Medusa head. When I entered Sousse through the gate I walked straight down towards the souks. To my surprise most shops where closed, it was a Friday! Good or bad? To photograph the streets, it was perfect as it wasn’t crowded with just a few cats roaming the alleys. Of course, it means I didn’t really get the feeling of what’s happening during the working days. I simply followed the designated walking route with some detours here and there to just look in the alleys. Don’t forget the Dar Essid Museum and continue to the Ribat and the Grand Mosque.

I think I loved my extensive visit on Friday; half a day is enough. What I have read is very touristic every other single day. I also visited Sfax, which is bustling in an authentic way without tourists.

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First published: 19/09/19.

Philipp Peterer

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Sousse (Inscribed)

Medina of Sousse by Philipp Peterer

Visit: April 2018. Sousse was certainly less touristy than I expected it to be, considering its position right in the all inclusive holiday zone of Tunisia. I assume it gets its fair share of tourists during high season, but mostly in form of tour groups. As individual travellers me and my son were the only western tourists during our morning visit. The highlights were the town wall and the fort (Riba) where you can climb all the towers to get a good view. I also enjoyed the Archaeological Museum (Kasbah) with a vast display of mosaics and the rather clean narrow streets of the old town. No hassling was going on, but this might have been caused by our (too) early arrival. I certainly liked Sousse more than the nearby boring Kairouan. Depending on how much you are interested in Arab cities, allow 3-5 hours to get a good overview.

I parked for free, close to the town walls. Parking anyway never turned out to be a a big problem in Tunisia, you just have to be a bit creative and leave you car where others do the same.

The town is close to the A1, so it’s easy accessed from Tunis. You might consider the area as a hub anyway as there are loads of hotels and 2 other WHS within easy reach.

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First published: 01/05/05.

Ian Cade

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Sousse (Inscribed)

Medina of Sousse by Ian Cade

The Medina in Sousse is perhaps the nicest in the country to look at, and a cool feeling is given off by the white washed walls and blue medina doors. The Medina has more tourists than the other sites on the WHC list as it is next to the holiday resort stretch of the Tunisian coast, and this does mean that the atmosphere in the medina is not as genuine as in some of the other cities in the country and the quest for tourist money seems to have a more negative effect on shop owners!, but as any traveller knows that if you just go to some parts off the beaten track you will find a much more genuine picture of medina life.

The Ribat offers great views of the Medina especially the Mosque, and the Kasbah perched at the top of the medina has some stunning mosaics and you get a good look at perhaps the best Medina walls in the country!

Sousse is an easy place to visit due to it also being a beach resort and provides a great base to see some of the other UNESCO sites such as Kairouan and the Amphitheatre at El- Jem, also worth a trip is Monastir where the Ribat is stunning and doubles as Jerusalem in many films such as "Life of Brian"!

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First published: 01/05/05.

Klaus Freisinger

Medina of Sousse

Medina of Sousse (Inscribed)

Medina of Sousse by Els Slots

Sousse is an important port and tourist centre on the central Tunisian coast. Its old town and fortress are very nice to explore, although I'm not sure they are so exceptional that they belong on the WH list. Maybe they are representative examples of architectural styles.

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