Mahdia

Mahdia was founded in 916 as the capital of the Fatimid caliphate, chosen for a narrow rocky peninsula that could be cut off by a single wall, and that wall survives as the Skifa el Kahla, a massive gate with a vaulted passage nearly forty metres long. Beyond it the old town runs out along the peninsula to the Borj el Kebir fort and the cemetery on the point. A working fishing port and a silk-weaving tradition continue in the town.

What you actually see

• The Skifa el Kahla - a monumental gate with a vaulted passage of nearly forty metres.
• The Borj el Kebir - the sixteenth-century fort at the end of the peninsula.
• The Fatimid mosque - the reconstructed mosque of the tenth-century capital.
• The seaside cemetery - the graves on the rock at the point.

When to go

April to June and September to October are the most comfortable. Summer is hot and the resort strip fills. Mornings are best for the old town.

Honest expectations

The Fatimid mosque is a twentieth-century reconstruction rather than the original fabric. A modern hotel zone north of the town is separate and unappealing. The old town is small and quickly covered.

Nearby

Monastir is north, and El Jem is west.