Tunis — Distant some 200 km from Tunisia's capital , the town of le Kef is well poised to become one of the country's major tourist attractions. Indeed this small town, surrounded by mountains and a lush vegetation, is also fraught with culture and history.

Hot springs, dolmens, vestiges of the Roman empire, mausoleums, extra terrestrial remnants due to the fall of a huge asteroid and the majestic "Table of Jugurtha" standing tall at 1271 meters, you name it, El Kef has it all.

After the recent rehabilitation of a 10 km road linking the hot mineral baths of Hammam Mellegue to El Kef, and the projected building of a state of the art spa, on one of the world's largest geological sites, a new tourist circuit has been set up by local authorities to boost eco tourism, as well as health tourism in the region. The project which is financed by Tunisian European cooperation will include visits to the Roman Basilica, the Turkish Kasbah, the Sidi Bou Makhlouf Mausoleum, the Jewish Synagogue, the Elles Dolmens, the Museum of crafts and traditions, the Cathedral of Dar El Kous and last but not least, the Table of Jugurtha (La Table de Jugurtha) , a dazzling tabular hill overlooking the surrounding countryside and the town of El Kef from its 1271 meters. The plateau is flanked by clay rock walls, rising vertically, making the place a naturally impregnable fortress.

A breath taking view will rightly reward all those who climb to the top.

Half way up one meets the remains of a Byzantine fortress, some cave dwellings and the marabout of Sidi Abd El Jaoued. The place was chosen by the Numidian Berber King known as Jugurtha (160-104 BC) to resist the Roman army led by Marius.

With all these fascinating historical and ecological assets, El Kef will soon become, one of Tunisia's main attractions.