The Medina of Sousse is a historic area in the city of Sousse, located in the region of Sousse, Tunisia. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. This area shows what early Islamic buildings looked like in the Maghreb region. It includes a Kasbah, walls and other defensive structures, and the Great Mosque of Sousse. Today, the Medina contains the Archaeological Museum of Sousse. Many Punic stone slabs were found in the Medina, between the Ribat and the Great Mosque, during the 19th and 20th centuries.
History
The Medina of Sousse is located in the Tunisian Sahel and is an important historical place. It became significant because it was built during the early days of Islamic history, making it one of the first structures built after Islamic conquests in the Maghreb. It was also important because of its location, which needed protection from pirates and thieves.
The buildings in the area show the early civilizations that lived there after the conquests. Its architecture from the Aghlabid period reflects the strong and large coastal military buildings of that time, designed to protect against enemies.
- Tower of the Medina of Sousse
- Wall of the Medina
- Medina of Sousse Sign of UNESCO World Heritage
- Walls of the Medina of Sousse
- One of the gates of the Medina
- Mosque of the Medina of Sousse
- Ribat of the Medina of Sousse
Climate change
Medina of Sousse is a coastal heritage site that is at risk from rising sea levels. In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report listed it among African cultural sites that could face flooding and coastal erosion by the end of the century, but only if climate change follows the RCP 8.5 scenario. This scenario predicts very high and continuously increasing greenhouse gas emissions, leading to global warming of more than 4°C. However, this scenario is no longer considered very likely. Under more plausible scenarios, warming levels are lower, and sea level rise would be smaller. However, sea levels are expected to continue rising for about 10,000 years under all scenarios. Even if warming is limited to 1.5°C, global sea levels are projected to rise more than 2–3 meters (7–10 feet) after 2000 years. This increase would surpass the sea level rise predicted under RCP 8.5 (~0.75 meters (2 feet), with a range of 0.5–1 meter (2–3 feet)) by the year 4000. Without effective adaptation measures, such as building sea walls, damage and possible destruction of Medina of Sousse are expected to occur over time.