Al-Mansuriya

Al-Mansuriya, also known as Sabra, was a palatine city in present-day Tunisia, founded in 946 by the Fatimid caliph Ismail al-Mansur roughly 1.5 kilometres southeast of Kairouan. Built to replace the coastal capital of al-Mahdiya, it was modelled on the great circular cities of Baghdad and Samarra, featuring concentric palace enclosures, gardens, and markets. The Zirid dynasty subsequently used it as their capital until 1053, when it was destroyed and abandoned during the Banu Hilal invasion. Almost nothing stands above ground today; archaeological excavations have uncovered foundations and ceramic assemblages that document the brief but historically pivotal role this lost city played in early Islamic North Africa.