Lighthouses of Tunisia

Smallest of the North African nations, Tunisia was a province of the Ottoman Empire until it was occupied by French troops in 1881 and declared a French protectorate. In World War II, Allied forces converged on Tunisia from east and west and used it as the springboard for the invasions of Sicily and southern Italy. The country resumed its independence in 1956.

Most of Tunisia's lighthouses were built by the French within the first 20 years of their colonial government. Today the lighthouses are maintained by the Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports de Tunisie (OMMP). It appears that most of them are still maintained by resident civilian keepers, with the original French lenses still in place.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume E of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
Phares d'Afrique

Photos posted by Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller as part of their Phares du Monde web site.

Leuchttürme in Tunesien

Photos posted by Bernd Claußen.

Afrikanische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten

Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.

Mahdia Lighthouse
Phare de Mahdia, January 2006
Creative Commons photo by Gorik François

Zarzis Area Lighthouses
Gabès and Sfax Area Lighthouses * Gabès: 1893. Active; focal plane 13 m (42 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical fluted tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Tower painted white, lantern and gallery black. A small photo is available, and Huelse has posted a historic postcard view. Located at Gabès, an oasis town and seaport on the Gulf of Gabès. Site status unknown. ARLHS TUN-018; Admiralty E6348; NGA 21820.
Mahdia and Sousse Area Lighthouses
* Mahdia (Cap Afrique): 1890. Active; focal plane 26 m (85 ft); red flash every 5 s. 15 m (49 ft) hexagonal cylindrical cast iron tourelle with lantern and gallery, mounted atop the keeper's house. Lantern and top of the tower painted red, the rest of the tower white. A photo appears at the top of this page, a 2008 photo and a panoramic view are available, and Google has a satellite view. Mahdia was the capital of Tunisia during the Middle Ages; today the ancient town is a popular tourist attraction. Located on the point of Cap Afrique, a very sharp promontory in Mahdia. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-013; Admiralty E6370; NGA 21904.
Île Kuriat (Jazirat Qurayyat): 1894. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); flash every 5 s, red to the north and white to the south. 26 m (85 ft) square tower, attached to a keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with a red top. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Kuriat or Qurayyat is a small, uninhabited island about 20 km (13 mi) east of Monastir and 32 km (20 mi) north of Mahdia. Accessible only by boat. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-002; Admiralty E6380; NGA 21920.
Cap Bon Peninsula Lighthouses * Hammamet: 1912. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft): white cylindrical lantern atop the wall of the Kasbah (citadel). Claußen has a photo, and another photo is available. Located in Hammamet, at the base of the Cap Bon peninsula about 100 km (60 mi) southeast of Tunis. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-029; Admiralty E6386; NGA 21976.5.
* Nabeul: Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 8 m (26 ft); characteristics unknown. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, painted red. Michael Schwarzer has a photo, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located at the end of the old south jetty, now within the protected harbor of Nabeul, about 15 km (9 mi) northeast of Hammamet. Probably accessible by walking the jetty, but if not the lighthouse can be seen from nearby. Site open, tower closed.
Tunis Area Lighthouses
* La Goulette (Tunis Jetée Nord): Date unknown (station established 1850). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); three white flashes every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) lantern, gallery, and watch room mounted on four concrete legs. The legs are unpainted; lantern, gallery and watch room painted green. A photo and a somewhat clearer photo are available, and Google has a satellite view. La Goulette is the commercial port of Tunis. The light is located at the end of the main pier, so there should be a good view from arriving cruise ships and trans-Mediterranean ferries. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty E6396; NGA 21996.
* Ras Qatarjamah (Sidi Bou Saïd): 1840. Active; focal plane 146 m (479 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with a black band at the top; lantern and gallery painted black. A good 2007 photo is available, Brent Scheneman has a second photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse stands atop a high hill at the northern entrance to the Bay of Carthage (now the Bay of Tunis). The hill is called Jebel el-Manar, "Fire Mountain," because fires were built here as long ago as Phoenician times to guide sailors into the bay. The Moslem saint Abu Said Ibn Khalef Ibn Yahia el-Beji, who was called Sidi Bou Saïd, was buried here in 1231, making this a famous place of pilgrimage. Located near La Marsa, about 20 km (13 mi) northeast of Tunis. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-012; Admiralty E6412; NGA 22040.
Île Plane (Jazirat al Mussattahah): 1888. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 10 s; red flashes are shown over a sector to the west. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No current photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on Île Plane, a remarkably flat-topped island about 2 km (1.2 mi) off Cape Farina (Ras Sidi Ali el-Mekki) near Ghar el-Mehl at the northwestern entrance to the Gulf of Tunis. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS TUN-024; Admiralty E6414; NGA 22056.
Bizerte (Banzart) Area Lighthouses
Îles Cani: 1894. Active; focal plane 39 m (128 ft); two flashes every 10 s, white or red depending on direction. 21 m (69 ft) tower with lantern and gallery, rising from 1-story keeper's house complex. Lighthouse painted with black and white horizontal bands; lantern is black. A good photo is available. The Îles Cani are two small islands about 12 km (7.5 mi) off Ras Zebib, on the approaches to Bizerte. Located on Grand Île Cani. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS TUN-004; Admiralty E6416; NGA 22064.
Bizerte Jetée Est (2): 1914 (station established 1895). Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 17 m (56 ft) tower with lantern. The lighthouse is described as red; it may be painted red or unpainted red stone. A distant photo is available, as well as a closer view in silhouette (middle photo in the third row), and Google has a satellite view. The first photo also shows the green Jetée Nord light (on the right) and the Breakwater North light in the distance. The height listed, 17 m, seems too low for the focal plane. Located at the end of the east inner jetty of Bizerte harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty E6428; NGA 22084.
* Bizerte Jetée Nord: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous green light. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower, painted green. The lighthouse is at the left of a distant 2008 photo (the Jetée Nord is in the foreground), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of Bizerte; accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-014; Admiralty E6426; NGA 22080.
Bizerte Outer Breakwater North End: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower, painted red. Google has a satellite view. Located at the northwest end of the detached outer breakwater of Bizerte. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty E6422; NGA 22076.
* Pointe de Sebra: 1895. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); isophase white light, period not listed. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with enclosed upper portion. Lantern removed. The enclosed portion is painted with black and white vertical stripes; the rest of the tower is painted white. Google has a satellite view. This light helps guide ships through the Goulet, the short canal connecting the Bizerte harbor to Lake Bizerte. Located on a point of land on the north shore of Lake Bizerte that is aligned with the channel of the canal. Site and tower closed. ARLHS TUN-025; Admiralty E6440; NGA 22104.
* Menzel Bourguiba: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); continuous light, red or white depending on direction. 20 m (66 ft) round tower, rising from the port captain's office. Lighthouse painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Menzel Bourguiba (named for Tunisia's longtime president Habib Bourguiba) is the former Ferryville (named for Jules Ferry, the French prime minister who sent troops to occupy Tunisia in 1881). Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Bizerte. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUN-030; Admiralty E6444; NGA 22108.
Ras Enghela: 1890. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 2.5 s; red flashes are shown in a sector close to shore to the southwest. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted black with a broad white horizontal band under the gallery. A good photo is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view of the station. This is the northernmost lighthouse of the African continent, standing in latitude 37° 20.7' N. Located on a headland about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Bizerte. Site status unknown. ARLHS TUN-026; Admiralty E6456; NGA 22132.
Cap Serrat and Tabarka Lighthouses

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Skhira (1895-?), southeastern coast. ARLHS TUN-027.

Notable faux lighthouses:

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