Tunis
Historical Background

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In the Shadow of Carthage

Legend and history mix to tell of Carthage's founding in the 9th century B.C.E. Greek and Roman tales assert that Queen Elyssa of Tyre fled from her kingdom after her powerful brother had her husband killed. She ended up in Carthage, where local residents agreed to give her a piece of land equal in size to an ox’s hide. She cleverly cut this land into such thin strips that it stretched to cover a whole hill: the Colline de Byrsa (Byrsa Hill) (byrsa means "ox" in Phoenician). It was atop this hill that the first Carthage flourished.

Carthage was settled in the 8th century when Phoenician sailors from Tyre crossed the Mediterranean. They wanted to explore precious metal mines in Spain and set up permanent trading posts in Carthage. The name Carthage (in the Phoenician language "Kart-Hadasht") means "new town.” Carthage prospered under Phoenician control, mostly through trade with neighboring villages in the Mediterranean.

Before the Punic Wars, Carthage rivaled Rome in power and influence. In an attempt to secure its dominance, Rome began to deny Carthage access to trade in the Mediterranean by blocking its passage through certain straits. After three wars with Rome, Carthage fell in 146 B.C.E.; much of its population was murdered or enslaved. The new Carthage became the prosperous capital city of Roman-controlled Africa. Christianity became widely accepted and practiced in Carthage, making it a haven for Christian leaders such as Saint Cyprian (Bishop of Carthage in the 3rd century).

The prosperity and power that sustained the vast Roman Empire for so long collapsed. Aware of this weakness, Vandals attacked Carthage, and annexed it for themselves. In the 6th century, the Byzantines forced the Vandals out and tried to take over the city. As a result, Carthage sustained significant damage to its infrastructure. Arab conqueror Ibn an-Nôman passed through Carthage to the little village of “Tunes.” He found the location to be strategically desirable: it sat atop a hill near a lake, which protected the village against naval attacks from the sea. What would become Tunis was created largely from the stone of Carthage's destroyed buildings.

The Rise of Tunis

Initially, Tunis was a valuable naval base in Ifriqiya (the land that was once Roman Africa), but with the building of the Mosquée Zitouna in the 8th century, and the commercial development that followed, it soon became more powerful than Carthage ever was.

The Fatimids, who were of Shiite Berber origin, seized power in Ifriqiyah in the 10th century. The Zirids, from Kairouan, governed on behalf of the Fatimid Dynasty (which was based in Cairo). A religious conflict erupted between the two powers. The Fatimids soon grew tired of this opposition, and sent two neighboring tribes to attack Ifriqiya. Kairouan, the Zirids capital city, was destroyed.

Tunis held up under the rule of the Beni Khorassan, who made the city their capital. In the 12th century, the Almohad dynasty (which ruled from Marrakech) designated a governor to run Ifriqiya from Tunis. This governor established his own dynasty, whose rule upon Ifriqiya is characterized by a period of Tunisian prosperity.

Tunis - Hafsid Capital City (1230–1574)

The Hafsid princes, who ruled from the Kasbah Hill (to the west of the Place du Gouvernement), made Tunis their capital city. And it grew thanks to its trading influence. Its commercial centers and religious buildings became fully developed by the 14th century. The population swelled to 100,000 inhabitants. The Hafsid rulers welcomed Andalusian Moors immigrating from Spain. The Moors influenced Tunis intellectually, and their artisans introduced new statecrafts. Most notably the Sheshia, the hat that has come to symbolize Tunisia.

The Hafsid rulers also welcomed Christians to the city, who were allowed to trade and to practice their religion without persecution. Inns were built for the Christian traders from Pisa, Genoa, Venice and Marseille around the district of Bab El Bahr, which welcomed Europeans until the establishment of the French Protectorate.

In 1534, the Ottomans plundered Tunis. Shortly thereafter, the Spaniards started a war with the Ottomans for control of the Mediterranean. Spain's King Charles V took back the city in 1535 and restored the rule of the Hafsids. The Spanish stayed in Tunis, striving to enhance its defenses (they built a fort in La Goulette), until the Ottomans regained control in the early 16th century.

Tunis in the Ottoman Empire (1534–1881)

During most of the Ottoman rule, Tunis prospered thanks to slavery, trading and piracy in the Mediterranean Sea. Many new madrasas, mosques and palaces were built. The naval victories of the French and English in 1826 and 1827 ended piracy in the Mediterranean. This was a major blow to Ottoman power in Tunis. As a result, they raised taxes, and lost popularity. They also borrowed money from Occidental rulers, who took advantage of the situation by increasing their influence in the country. Europeans began settling in Tunis in greater numbers. A French military expedition from Algeria led to the signing of the French Protectorate (Bardo’s treaty) in 1881.

Tunis Under the French Protectorate (1881–1956)

Tunis’ history changed dramatically with the coming of the French. The French Consulate and a few more buildings were erected out of the walls of the medina, triggering further urban development. A new colonial town was built after the decontamination and filling of a lagoon located between the east side of the Medina, Bab El Bahr ("Sea Door"), and Tunis Lake.

In 1942, Tunis was occupied by the Germans, and taken back by the British in 1943. In 1955, Habib Bourguiba returned from his exile in France and arrived in La Goulette, setting in motion Tunisian independence.

Contemporary Challenges

Tunisia gained its independence from France on March 20, 1956. The Constitution recognized Tunis, which had 550,000 inhabitants at the time, as the capital. French and European populations soon left the New Town (Carthage). Symbols of colonization disappeared from the urban landscape as early as 1956. Avenue de la Marine is renamed after Habib Bourguiba, and an equestrian statue of the new Tunisian President replaced the statue of the French Ministry. At that time, the town was facing problems related to the ghettoization of the medina. The new nation also had to deal with the growing shantytowns (gourbivilles) that were cropping up due to a rural exodus.

Since then, Tunisia has undergone rapid modernization efforts, resulting in high population growth: it now spreads to the north, and its population has reached well over the 2 million mark. Like the New Town of the past, today's Tunis, with its bustling business districts and flourishing cultural centers, makes it a city ready to step to the forefront of the global stage. - Najda Laroussi