Mahdia is an ancient city of Tunisia, famous for its medina and although its fortress walls are not very old, some interesting structures have been preserved here. The Gate of the Scythian el-Kala is a fortress gate leading to the central Cairo Square. They were built by the ruling Fatimid dynasty in the 10th century, as was the custom in the Middle Ages, facing the mainland. They were built both for protection as a defensive structure and as a gate leading to the palace of the rulers. When the Spaniards, leaving in 1554, destroyed the defence walls, the Black Gate, or the Gate of the Scythian el-Kala, they did not touch it, but it had to be restored. After the gate begins a serpentine looping corridor 21 metres long.
The gate was built in such a way that the invaders coming from the sea had little chance to penetrate into the city - they had to walk to the gate and it was the only way to penetrate into the city. At this time, the warriors on the fortress walls could hit a part of the army from above - with arrows, boiling water, hot oil. The enemies who reached the gate were blocked by six lowering forged iron bars.
If you turn to the stone staircase from the opening in the gate, you can climb it to the roof of the corridor with terraces, from which you can see a magnificent panorama of the city with its surroundings and the ever-busy port. Also, once a week, one of the city's famous bustling oriental bazaars with small shops and restaurants unfolds near the Skif al-Qala Gate. It offers a variety of goods, including souvenirs featuring the gate itself.
