Description of the attraction
Ribat (translated from Arabic "hotel") is a fortress built in the VIII century. Once she defended the inhabitants of the city of Monastir from the attacks of Christians. A lighthouse and a high watch tower were attached to the fortress, on which monk soldiers were on duty. Ribat was built over the course of many centuries, constantly building on and strengthening. After one of these expansions, the area of the monastery was about 4,000 square meters. m. The main part of the buildings was erected from the VIII to the XIX century.
In the middle of the fortress there is a small courtyard where the soldiers could go from their rooms. Through a huge number of passages and passages in the walls, which have arisen due to the constant rebuilding of Ribat, and similar to a labyrinth, you can go to the watchtower, erected like all other bastions in the 17th-18th centuries, from where a beautiful view of Monastir and the sea opens.
In the oldest part of the fortress, in the former prayer rooms, the Islamic Museum was opened, created in 1958, which contains manuscripts, pottery and glass items made by monks. One of the most interesting exhibits of the museum is an astrolabe made in 927.
Feature films on historical themes were shot in the fortress.
