Ksar Ouled Brahim

About this place

Ksar Ouled Brahim, also known as Ksar Medenine, is a traditional granary ksar in the centre of the city of Medenine in southern Tunisia. It forms a square about 80 m on each side, entered through two gates, and holds about 140 ghorfas, the vaulted rooms stacked on two or more levels where grain and oil were once stored. Medenine's first ksars were built in the early 19th century, when the town was a major trading market of the south, drawing merchants from across North Africa, and its ksars served as central granaries for the region's nomadic tribes. At their height around 1930 there were some 25 ksars with about 6,000 ghorfas, before most were demolished in 1960, leaving only three. The ghorfas, with their curved earthen fronts and painted wooden doors, line an inner courtyard, and narrow stone stairs cling to the walls up to the higher levels. The ksar has been restored, was listed as a protected monument in 2021, and in 2020 the Tunisian government proposed it with Medenine's other ksars for the World Heritage list. The ground-floor ghorfas are now used as craft and souvenir shops, and entry is free. Early morning and late afternoon light is best for photographing the facades, and a visit combines well with the ksars of Tataouine on the way south.