Medina of Sousse, Tunisia


The Medina of Sousse is a Medina quarter in Sousse, Governorate of Sousse, Tunisia. Designated by the UNESCO a World Heritage Site in 1988, it is a typical example of the architecture of the early centuries of Islam in Maghreb.
It encompasses a Kasbah, fortifications and the Great Mosque of Sousse. The Medina today houses the Archaeological Museum of Sousse.

History

The Medina of Sousse is located in the Tunisian Sahel and forms an outstanding archeological site. This was primarily because of the time it was built at the dawn of Islamic civilization, making it one of the earliest constructions after the Islamic conquests in the Maghreb. It was also because of the location of the Medina, a site that required protection against piracy and plunder.
The constructions comprised in its precincts witnessed the early post-conquest civilisations. Its architectural style, from the time of the Aghlabid, is representative of the military coastal constructions of the era, meant to be stout and imposing, so as to ward off foes.