Picturesque resort with the largest fishing port in Tunisia
The strategically favorable location on a narrow peninsula allowed Phoenicians and Romans to build their ports and bases here.
Around 916 the Arab Fatimids moved their capital here. City, mosque and port were expanded from thick walls, fortresses and towers to form an almost impregnable bulwark. Mahdia later lost its importance and had to repel attacks by Christian fleets of the Sicilians, Genoese, English and French in the following centuries.
In 1547 the maritime pirate Dragut made the city its base, which was taken from it by the Spaniards in 1550.
Only four years later the Spaniards had to give way to the Turks who were advancing again. Before that, however, they destroyed the old port and fortifications.
In the following Ottoman period the great fortress was rebuilt, but it was not until the French colonial period that a new boom began with the promotion of fishing and the economy.
Mahdia now has the largest fishing port in Tunisia and is in the process of joining the major tourist centers as a seaside resort. With miles of fine sandy beaches, the charming old town and the picturesque old port, Mahdia has kept its original character to this day.
What is striking when strolling through the old town are the very artistic and imaginative door frames, some of which are decorated with colorful tiles and stone carvings even in the simplest residential buildings. In the middle of the peninsula is the Bordj el Kebis, a Turkish fort. A visit is worthwhile for the beautiful view over the city, the Fatimid harbor and Cap Afrique by the lighthouse. Below the fort and lighthouse is the basin of the Fatimid port, carved into the massive rock.
