ABOUT JUGURTHA TABLE

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This spectacular flat-topped mountain (1271m) , or mesa , rises almost vertically from the surrounding plains 98km north­west of Kasserine . Its sheer , impregnable walls make it a superb natural fortress and , indeed , the mountain bears the name of the ruthless Numidian king Jugurtha (p27) , who used it as a base during his seven-year campaign against the Romans (112-105 Be) .
Known as the Plateau de Jugurtha on some road signs , Jugurtha's Table can be seen from the Le Kef-Kasserine highway , between Tajerouine and Kalaat Khasba , on the far western horizon .
The only access to the summit is via a twisting set of steps hewn into the escarp­ment; the small gate at the base was added by the Byzantines . The reward for those who climb to the top is a spectacular view over the surrounding countryside; the hills you can see off to the west are across the border in Algeria . The small shrine honours a local marabout (holy man) .
The gateway to Jugurtha's Table is the sleepy , low-rise town of Kalaat es-Senan , whose less-than-thriving local economy gets a lift from some smuggling from nearby Algeria . The walking route up the mesa (two hours return) starts 3km south­east of Kalaat es-Senan in the hamlet of Ain Senan , on the western side of the mountain .
Take sufficient water because there's none to be found along the way .
Tourists are supposed to register at the friendly Garde Nationale (National Guard) office - not the same thing as the Police ­on the main street of Kalaat es-Senan before they set out .
Two French-language websites with de­tails on the area are www . jugurtha . com and www . kalaat . com .