In those unruly middle ages, granaries were often fortified to stop raids on a village’s food supply.

Photo credit

Ksar Ouled Soltane was originally built in the 15th century and had hundreds ofghorfasfor storage of grains.

The two courtyards are connected by a passage made of palm wood.

ksar-ouled-soltane-8

Eachghorfaswas assigned to and used by a single family.

For five centuries the nomadic tribes used them to store grain and olives.

It is now a popular tourist destination.

ksar-ouled-soltane-1

Also see:Qasr Al Haj, a similar vault and granary in Libya.

Sources:Wikipedia/About.com/French Wikipedia/The Rough Guide to Tunisia- By Daniel Jacobs, Peter Morris

ksar-ouled-soltane-7

ksar-ouled-soltane-2

ksar-ouled-soltane-5

ksar-ouled-soltane-6

ksar-ouled-soltane-3