Borj Masouda (

arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: برج مسعودة) or Borj Lella Masouda Essamra (برج للا مسعودة السمراء) is one of the main four

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

s of the medina of Sfax.

Location and etymology

The fort is located at the northeast corner of the medina, near

Bab Charki Bab Charki or the Eastern Gate in Arabic (Arabic: الباب الشرقي) is one of the gates of the medina of Sfax The Sfax medina is the medina quarter of the Tunisian city of Sfax. It was built by Aghlabid prince Muhammad I Abu 'l-Abbas, Abu A ...

. It owes its name to Masouda Essamra, a black woman who sheltered the fort and who dedicated her life to the service of the black community of Sfax.{{Cite web, url=http://zaherkammoun.com/2018/05/18/sfax-esclavage/, title=تاريخ ذوي البشرة السمراء في صفاقس, date=2018-05-18, website=Zaher Kammoun, language=fr-FR, access-date=2019-03-10

History

According to Mahmoud Megdiche, the fort takes its name from a black woman who lived in Sfax and who dedicated her life to helping the inhabitants of the city and the protection of the fort. It is very difficult to specify the date of its construction, but it appears in the Louis Salvador illustrations of

Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

in 1789. In addition, the nature of its columns suggests that it was built before the

Hafsid dynasty The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berbers, Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tu ...

succeeded to power. Its main role was the surveillance of the north and east facades of the medina. In 1857, and following the orders of the Bey, a brotherhood was created within it with Sheikh El Sellami at its leader.

Architecture

Borj Masouda is an octagonal tower larger than the rest of the towers of the walls. Its height exceeds four meters and each side measures 5.4 meters. It consists of two levels, the lower of which is larger. The second floor has a prayer room divided into two galleries by two columns in the direction of the

qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...

. To the right of the mihrab is a small cell (''maqsura'') where the saint Masouda Essamra is buried. File:Borj Messaouda 04.jpg, Prayer room File:Borj Messaouda 02.jpg, Entrance File:Stambali in Sfax 2.jpg, A stambali show in front of the monument

References

Medina of Sfax