Sousse is one of the older cities in Tunisia. Located on the coast, it has good beaches and a clear turquoise sea.
Medina
The medina of Sousse is one of the finest examples of arab architecture in Tunisia, preserved almost completely unchanged throughout the centuries and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The warren of alleyways is surrounded by a two-kilometer circuit of walls, built in AD 859. Narrow lanes are lined with closely packed houses, rising up and leaving just a sliver in between.
Ribat
The Ribat is the city’s major landmark. This was one of a chain of around 800 fortifications built by the Aghlabid dynasty.
Kasbah
The Kasbah is one of Sousse’s grandest monuments. Its 30-meter Khalaf al Fata tower is one of the oldest towers still standing in North Africa. The Kasbah’s topmost platform is 50 m, making it the best place to get medina views.
Catacombs
Discovered in 1888, this large complex of Early Christian catacombs is a maze of underground passages and chambers hewed from soft local rock between the 2 and 4 centuries. A total of some 15000 people was wrapped in shrouds and buried here in wall niches of the catacombs, often placed in tiers one above the other and closed by tiles or marble plaques.
Great Mosque
Built c. 850 AD, this mosque is simple and austere in the Aghlabite style, no decoration whatsoever aside from a string of angular Arabic and curved arches. Even the prayer room is covered in reed mats instead of the usual carpet.
Port el Kantaoui
Port el Kantaoui was built specifically as a tourist center, around a large artificial harbor that provides mooring with 340 berths for luxury yachts, hosting sporting activities from water skiing to paragliding, and several golf courses. Opened in 1979, the Moorish-style development was modeled on the cute blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said near Tunis.