ribat

The ribat is northwest of the mosque and is the oldest monument in the medina, built in the final years of the 8th century AD.

The entrance is through a narrow arched doorway flanked by weathered columns salvaged from the ruins of Roman Hadrumètum. The small ante-chamber was the last line of the building's defences - from high above the columns, projectiles and boiling liquids were rained down on intruders. A vaulted passage opens out into a courtyard surrounded by porticos. The ribat, designed principally as a fort, was garrisoned by devout Islamic warriors who would divide their time between fighting and silent study of the Quran in the tiny, cell-like rooms built into the walls. The prayer hall on the first floor has an elegant vaulted ceiling and reflects this dual purpose with a simple mihrab (the prayer niche in the mosque wall which indicates the direction of Mecca, this is one of the oldest in North Africa) and fortified windows that were used by archers.

Scramble up the narrow 76-step spiral staircase of the nador (watch tower), which was added by the Aghlabids in AD 821, for unparalleled views over the medina up the hill to the kasbah and down into the courtyard of the Great Mosque.