Sousse was an impor­tant com­mer­cial and mil­i­tary port dur­ing the Agh­labid peri­od (800&ndash,909) and is a typ­i­cal exam­ple of a town dat­ing from the first cen­turies of Islam. With its kas­bah, ram­parts, med­i­na (with the Great Mosque), Bu Fta­ta Mosque and typ­i­cal rib­at (both a fort and a reli­gious build­ing), Sousse was part of a coastal defence sys­tem.