In which country is the coastal city of Sousse, known for its medieval architecture, located?

Sousse (or Soussa) is a city in Tunisia. It lies 140 km (87 mi) south of the country’s capital, Tunis. Due to its location on the Mediterranean coast, the city of Sousse was a key commercial and military port for centuries.

The city has managed to retain the solidly Arabian look and feel it developed over the centuries, and is, in fact, home to several structures built during the ninth century. Many of these still showcase today the architecture of the seaward-facing fortifications which were built by the Arabs to protect the city from attacks by both armies and pirates.

At the heart of the city lies the Medina of Sousse, a World Heritage Site. This “old city” area is situated on rising ground above the harbor, and is surrounded by a wall first built in 859 CE. The wall’s massive stone blocks came from ancient Roman buildings. Of the original six gates leading into the medina, only two have survived. Medinas generally feature narrow, twisted, maze-like streets, designed to confuse and slow down invading armies; the one in Sousse is no exception.

The medina area includes the Bou Flata Mosque, the Great Mosque, and the Ribat of Sousse, a fortification that was built to house military volunteers, and is the most ancient Muslim monument in North Africa.

Surrounding the medina today stretches a modern city with long, straight roads and more widely spaced buildings; meanwhile, the winding streets of the medina continue to confuse and slow down invading tourists.