The Ksar Medenine, in the heart of the old town, is what remains of a much larger complex that was demolished in the 1960s in the name of modernisation. What survives is two or three storeys of arcaded ghorfas — the long vaulted cells that served as grain stores for the surrounding Berber tribes — arranged around courtyards. Most of the cells have been taken over by craft shops and small cafés, and the effect is a strange but interesting mix of working bazaar and architectural monument.
The architecture itself is striking. Each ghorfa is a long narrow vault, accessed through an arched doorway often decorated with simple geometric carving. Stairways and external balconies on stone corbels lead to the upper levels. The arrangement around an open courtyard provided defence, ventilation, and a meeting place for the tribes who shared the granary. Even half-preserved, this is one of the best places to understand how ksour worked.