Takrouna

Takrouna sits on top of a rock outcrop rising about two hundred metres out of the flat Sahel plain, a Berber village settled in 1609, after the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain, by descendants of a tribe that had gone to al-Andalus in the eighth century, whose houses are built into the rock at the summit. Only a handful of families still live up there. The marabout shrine of Sidi Abd el Kader stands at the top, and the view runs across the plain to the sea. Fighting took place around the rock in 1943 and a New Zealand memorial stands nearby.

Highlights

• The rock village - houses built into the summit of an isolated outcrop.
• The marabout shrine - the domed tomb of Sidi Abd el Kader at the top.
• The plain view - the Sahel spreading out to the sea from the summit.
• The climb - the stepped route up through the old village.

When to go

October to May is the most comfortable. Mornings and late afternoons give the best light. The climb is steep and exposed.

Practical notes

Most of the old village is abandoned and partly collapsed. Children at the top ask for money persistently. There are few facilities and the climb is steep.

Nearby

Zriba El Alia is north, and Sousse is southeast.

Key facts