Ksar Ouled Soltane — Fortified Granary
Ksar Ouled Soltane
Early Modern Berber (1699–1900)·Berber (Cherkaoui) / Arab·🇹🇳 Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia
Wikipedia contributors · CC (see file page)
About
About Ksar Ouled Soltane — Fortified Granary
Ksar Ouled Soltane is the best-preserved Berber fortified granary 1699 CE in Tataouine, 60 m square enclosure with 287 ghorfas (vaulted cells 4 stories high) stacked two courtyards. Central sehn (thorn) yard for sorting grain under tribal law. Built 1699 on hill 360 m. Star Wars Episode I Jedi granary model. UNESCO tentative Ksours de Tunisie. Ghorfas still used for grain. Outer wall 5 m high with single gate.
Why it mattersMost complete ghorfa ksar illustrating 300-year Berber collective granary economy.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Why 287 ghorfas precise number — kin group allocation
Theories
- 01Ksar as tribe's bank vault (Gandoul)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 1699 CE Cherkaoui tribe
- Period
- Early Modern Berber (1699–1900)
- Culture
- Berber (Cherkaoui) / Arab
- Builders
- Cherkaoui kin group
- Purpose
- Collective granary for Berber oasis grain, olive oil and textile defense
- Abandoned
- 1950s modern silos but maintained for ceremony
- Excavation
- Not applicable
1699
Ksar founded by Cherkaoui elders
1998
Star Wars Episode I filming
2020
UNESCO tentative collective ksours
On the ground
Structures & features
32.7880° N · 10.5140° E · 360 m · 3 mapped features
- First Courtyard — 143 GhorfasgranaryOuter courtyard 30×15 m ring with 143 ghorfas 4 stories 8 m high, ladder notches32.7885° N · 10.5145° E
- Second Courtyard & Sehn YardgranaryInner 30×15 m with 144 ghorfas and central sehn 10×8 m for threshing32.7875° N · 10.5135° E
- Fortified Gate & Watch TowergateSingle gate 3×2.5 m with watch tower 8 m and ksar law inscription32.7880° N · 10.5140° E
Gallery