Name of Monument:

Ramparts of Sfax

Location:

Sfax Medina, Tunisia

Date of Monument:

Hegira 224 / AD 859

Period / Dynasty:

Aghlabid, Abbasid

Patron(s):

Abu Ibrahim Ahmad.

Description:

The ramparts at Sfax are 2 km long and surround the rectangular Medina 600 m from east to west and 400 m north to south. They were financed by Ali ibn Aslam al-Bakri, the qadi of Sfax at the time, and were constructed from quarry stones secured with lime mortar. Shelly sandstone ashlars form the corners and also the vertical ties, with alternating placement of the blocks, first horizontal and then set against the grain. Bedded into the masonry between the stone ties are round billets of olive, vine and Thuya wood. The ramparts are flanked by 69 towers. The semi-circular towers are probably the oldest. There are also oblong and hexagonal towers (with cut-off corners). The sides of the oblong towers are not equilateral, forming irregular hexagons or octagons. These towers serve as buttresses, defences and control points, and this is why the four corner towers are so large. These are the kasbah to the southwest, the Burj al-Nar to the southeast, the Burj Mas'uda to the northeast and the Burj al-Qsar to the northwest. Both the towers and the walls in between are topped by parapets with split, pointed crenellations shaped like gothic arches.
Access to the interior was via two gates: Bab al-Jebli to the north opening onto the hinterland and Bab Diwan to the south overlooking the sea. Double doors in each protected the town.
These defences were regularly maintained. The upkeep was paid for from a generous habus legacy managed by an okil.

The Sfax Ramparts are a defensive structure built according to the principles of military fortification. Flanked by 69 towers, the wall stretches for 2 km protecting the town from all manner of natural scourges, as well as raids and military incursions. The wall could be passed through two gateways, one leading to the coast and the other to the hinterland, and an inner and outer portal could be used to block access to the town. The building method used dominated Islamic defensive structures.

How Monument was dated:

Literary sources give the name of the qadi who financed the works and who presided in the town at the time of the Amir Ahmad ibn al-Aghlab.

Selected bibliography:

Marçais, G., Architecture musulmane d'Occident, Paris, 1954, pp.41–2.
Ifriqiya: Thirteen centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia, pp.220–1.

Citation of this web page:

Jamila Binous "Ramparts of Sfax" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tn;Mon01;22;en

Prepared by: Jamila BinousJamila Binous

Née en 1939 à Tunis, a étudié l'histoire et la géographie à l'Université de Tunis et l'urbanisme à l'Université de Tours (France).
Mme Binous a exercé 30 ans durant autant que chercheur puis directeur à l'Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Médina de Tunis.
A été expert de l'Unesco (mission Sanaa « Ville Historique ») en 1982 ; expert national pour le projet UNDP de reconstruction des sites historiques méditerranéens ; membre du Comité International des Villes Historiques ; co-auteur de la Charte internationale des Villes Historiques (ICOMOS-UNESCO).
Consultante auprès de l'IMED pour l'étude sur le contexte législatif, la stratégie et la politique des musées en Tunisie 2002-2003.
Coordinatrice de l'exposition la femme et le seuil in Femme, culture et créativité en Tunisie – Credif - Tunis 2001.
Mme Binous a pris part à divers congrès internationaux, écrit plusieurs articles et ouvrages tels que :
- Tunis d'un monument à l'autre, Tunis, 1970
- Tunis, Tunis, 1985
- Les chefs d'œuvres de l'artisanat tunisien, Tunis 1982
- Les maisons de la Médina de Tunis, Dar Asraf édition Tunis 2002.

MWNF Working Number: TN 22