Important student town and transshipment point for the olive oil trade
Founded by the Phoenicians as an anchorage, the later Ruspina remained relatively insignificant even under Roman rule. On the orders of the Abassid caliph Harun ar-Raschid, the Ribat, an Islamic fortified monastery, was built in the 8th century and served as a defensive bastion against Christian threats and Berber raids. Together with the Ribat in Sousse, it was considered the most important fortress along the Tunisian coast. Today, the upper floor of the Ribat, the former prayer hall, houses a small, interesting museum for Islamic art. The cemetery next to the Ribat became a popular burial place and pilgrimage destination for the entire region. After wars between the Spaniards and the Turks, the latter gained the upper hand and expanded the fortifications.
The city benefited from major modernization, the establishment of a university, and restorations.
In the course of the redesign, however, the old medina, which was located at the Ribat, had to give way to large open spaces. The magnificent mausoleum of long-time President Habib Bourguiba, who died on April 3.4.2000rd, 18, with its 300-carat gold-plated dome is on the left. From the Ribat the lavishly paved forecourt extends approx. XNUMX m to the mausoleum. This stands with gold and green domes and two slender minarets made of Italian marble in a park surrounded by wrought iron bars.
Below the mausoleum is the small, modern yacht harbor Cap Marina with numerous cafes and restaurants.
If you enter the old town from the mausoleum, you can discover a museum opposite the Habib Bourguiba Mosque, the Musee de Traditional Costume, with a collection of traditional everyday and festive clothing as well as jewelry from different regions of Tunisia.
