Photos

In the halls of fortress,Monastir

Just off the harbor is Monastir's famous Ribat, built by Harthama ben Ayan in 796, which ranks with the Ribat of Sousse as one of the oldest Arab fortresses in North Africa; but while the Ribat in Monastir was further strengthened the one in Sousse soon lost its military importance to the later Kasbah. As a result the similarities between the two buildings are not at first sight evident.

An imposing gateway on the west side of the Ribat leads into the inner courtyard, surrounded on three sides by buildings several storeys high containing the monks' cells, store-rooms and casemates. The monks' quarters were separated by another gateway from other buildings (perhaps women's quarters) probably added in the ninth century.

In Monastir the Kasbah was built in the ninth and 11th centuries round the Ribat, which thus retained its dominant position in the Medina. Further buildings were added in the 16th/17th and 18th/19th centuries. Extensive renovation was carried out in the 1960s.

Basically the Ribat is similar in plan to the one in Sousse. Originally it was only 32.80m/108ft square and lacked the semicircular towers half way along the sides of the Ribat of Sousse. On the southeast side is the three-storey Nador tower, from the top of which there are fine views of the yachting harbor, the large cemetery containing the Bourguiba Mausoleum, the Great Mosque and the roofs of the Medina.

In the summer the Ribat houses various events that are part of the international festival of Monastir.

In and around the Ribat are film sets and studios. Franco Zeffirelli shot scenes from his film "Jesus of Nazareth" here in 1976.

Monastir

Monastir (Arabic: المـنسـتير‎ al-munastîr, from Latin monasterium), called (mi’stir) in Tunisian Arabic, (20 km south of Sousse; 162 km south of Tunis), is a city on the central shore of Tunisia, in the Sahel area.
Monastir city in eastern Tunisia. It lies at the tip of a small peninsula protruding into the Mediterranean Sea between the Gulf of Hammamet and the Bay of Al-Munastīr. The ruins of Ruspinum, a Phoenician and Roman settlement, are 3 miles (5 km) to the west of the city. Monastir is now a port and, with adjacent Saqānis (Skanes), forms a fashionable beach resort complex that is served by an international airport. Its industries include textile milling (especially wool) and the manufacture of salt, soap, and olive oil. The city has a noted ribat (monastery-fortress), founded in 180 ce, to which it owes its name; also in the city are several old mosques and a modern mosque that was completed in 1968 and dedicated to Tunisia’s first president, Habib Bourguiba, who was born in Monastir. Benefiting from Bourguiba’s patronage, Monastir enjoyed considerable development, including a modern marina. In 2000 Bourguiba was buried at Monastir in his family mausoleum. Pop. (2004) 71,546. (Source: Britannica Encyclopedia & Wikipedia & Looklex-Tunisia)