The Ribat of Sousse
Exterior of the Ribat at Sousse.
Name: Ribat at Sousse
Patron: Ziyadat Allah ibn Ibrahim
Architect: Masrur al-Khudim
Date: ca. 8th century
Location: Sousse, Tunisia
The walled city of Sousse was built as a coastal fortification in Northern Africa, present-day Tunisia. Within this city lies the ribat, founded in the 8th century under the Abbasid dynasty and later reconstructed by the Aghlabid dynasty. Although a seemingly simple structure, the building materials and purpose of the ribat at Sousse speak to the extravagance of this monument’s history. Ribats lined the coastline of Northern Africa to act as guard towers against impending invasions and as bases for future conquests. The material used in construction came from old monuments from Antiquity; marble columns were even reclaimed from Roman temples. There is an inscription carved into the doorway of the ribat’s tower, the oldest surviving inscription from Islamic-era Tunisia. The inscription includes multiple praises to Allah and describes Prince Emir Ziyādat Allāh ibn Ibrāhīm as the patron of the reconstruction and his emancipated slave, Masrūr al-Khūdim, as the architect.
Aerial view of courtyard