Borj Sud (Arabic: برج الجنوب, romanized: Burj al-Janub, lit.

[1] Like the Borj Nord, the fort was built in 1582 by the powerful Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansour.

The Saadians, whose capital was Marrakesh, had faced notable resistance to their rule in Fez and the fort is one of several that they built around the city.

[2] The Saadians built Borj Nord, Borj Sud, and three bastions along the south and east walls of Fes el-Jdid to emulate Portuguese military architecture; a consequence of their wars to oust the Portuguese from Morocco.

[3][4] Their construction was probably helped by the labour and expertise of European prisoners captured in the famous Battle of the Three Kings in 1578.