Borj Ghazi Mustapha
Djerba
Adjoining the fishing port of Houmt Souk, capital of the island of Djerba, this imposing defensive work was built in 1289 by Roger de Loria, admiral of Aragon and Sicily, on the site of a place strong Roman whose remains have been reused in the construction of the work. It was refurbished in the 15th, reinforced in 1557 by Dragut and fixed in its current configuration by a Spanish garrison of 6000 soldiers who, in 1560, drove from the island the Turkish corsairs, before being exterminated the same year by the Turkish corsair.
Rectangular, the borj is flanked by round and square towers. It was accessed by a drawbridge over a moat isolating the structure. The front door leads to a vestibule defending access to the inner courtyard which contains vestiges of garrison that have succeeded in this area since ancient times. A room, converted into an antiquarium, houses various objects found on site as well as explanatory panels. The walkways, for their part, offer a superb view of the surroundings and the open sea.