El Kef

The unofficial capital of western Tunisia, little-visited El Kef has a breathtaking hilltop setting. It is noted for its Byzantine kasbah, which rises up and out of the picturesque blue and white medina. With a long and varied history, El Kef was Carthaginian before becoming a Roman colony. Because of its strategic location on the southern side of Jebel Dyr mountain, El Kef was an important fortress town for the Ottomans and, after that, the French.

During the Second World War, the city was established as the capital of Tunisia. Later, during the 1950s, it played a significant role in the Algerian War of Independence, becoming the command centre for the Front de Libération Nationale. Sightseeing highlights of El Kef include a stroll through the picturesque blue and white medina, the commanding views from the hilltop kasbah, the mausoleum of Sidi Bou Makhlouf (a saint and the town’s patron), the Jewish synagogue, and the ruins of the Roman Baths. El Kef is also the ideal place to enjoy immersive experiences like learning to make the local couscous speciality of Borzguen.