Kasbah of Le Kef

About this place

The Kasbah of Le Kef is a hilltop fortress above the town of Le Kef in northwest Tunisia, about 149 km southwest of Tunis in a straight line. The town was known as Sicca in Carthaginian times and Sicca Veneria under the Romans, and carried several other names before becoming El Kef in the 16th century. The kasbah was built in the 17th century to house a permanent garrison, and fortified ramparts were added in 1740. Before that the town had been a Numidian stronghold and then a fashionable residential city under the Romans, and remains of Roman baths still lie near the kasbah. The kasbah's tall white and grey stone walls and towers stand on a rocky ridge above the white houses of the old town, and from the ramparts a wide view opens over green plains and surrounding hills. In winter snow sometimes covers the town and the kasbah. Visitors climb through the old town's lanes to the kasbah, walk the ramparts and inner courtyards, and visit the nearby Roman baths. The area lies near the Algerian border, where some governments advise caution, so check current travel advice before visiting.