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Sbeitla or Sufetula ( ber, Sbitla or Seftula, ar, سبيطلة ') is a small town in west-central Tunisia. Nearby are the Byzantine ruins of Sufetula, containing the best preserved Byzantine forum temples in Tunisia. It was the entry point of the
Muslim conquest of North Africa The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...
. Sbeitla is the capital of the largest
delegation Delegation is the assignment of authority to another person (normally from a manager to a subordinate) to carry out specific activities. It is the process of distributing and entrusting work to another person,Schermerhorn, J., Davidson, P., Poole ...
in
Kasserine Governorate Kasserine Governorate ( ar, ولاية الڨصرين ' ), sometimes spelt ''Casrein'', is one of the twenty-four governorates (provinces) of Tunisia. It is in west-central Tunisia on the frontier with Algeria, wholly north of the true centre lin ...
with an area of 1133.5 km2. It is located in 33 km in the west of the governorate, and 264 km to Tunis. It has a population of 23,844 (2014 estimate). Sbeitla is mentioned in Noman Douglas's '' Fountains in the Sand'' as being wooded by junipers and Aleppo pines as late as the 19th century, though he found them "bleak and bare" in the early 20th century.


History

The oldest traces of civilisation in the zone are Punic megaliths and funereal stelae. The region was inhabited by nomadic tribes until the
Legio III Augusta ("Third Augustan Legion") was a legion of the Imperial Roman army. Its origin may have been the Republican 3rd Legion which served the general Pompey during his civil war against Gaius Julius Caesar (49–45 BC). It supported the general Octavia ...
established a camp at Ammaedara. Through the surrender of the
Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
leader Tacfarinas, the region was pacified and populated under the Roman emperor Vespasian and his sons between 67 and 69, becoming a bishopric in the Roman province of Byzacena. Some inscriptions found in the city suggest that the settlement had success along the lines of others in North Africa during the 2nd century, reaching great prosperity through the
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
industry, whose cultivation benefited from excellent climatic conditions in the region. The olive presses found in the ruins of the city further bolster this conclusion. The resulting prosperity made possible the construction of a splendid forum and other important buildings. The city began to decline during the Late Empire, during which the city was surrounded and occupied by Vandals, a fact that is demonstrated by the appearance of temples dedicated to their gods. The
arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...
of the Byzantines inaugurated a new period of splendor. In 647, the fields before the city were the site of a major battle between the Byzantines and Berbers of Gregory the Patrician and the
Rashidun Caliphate The Rashidun Caliphate ( ar, اَلْخِلَافَةُ ٱلرَّاشِدَةُ, al-Khilāfah ar-Rāšidah) was the first caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was ruled by the first four successive caliphs of Muhammad after his ...
's governor of Egypt, Abdullah ibn Saad. The
Battle of Sufetula Battle of Sufetula can refer to: * Battle of Sufetula (546 or 547) between Byzantines and Moors * Battle of Sufetula (647) The Battle of Sufetula ( ar, معركة سبيطلة, Ma'rakat Sbeitla) took place in 647 between the Arab Muslim forces o ...
ended in a decisive Muslim victory, which shook Byzantine control over the region and signalled the beginning of the
Muslim conquest of North Africa The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...
. Image:Sbeitla Temples of the Gods.jpg, Capitoline temples Image:Sbeitla 01.jpg, Public baths Image:Sbeitla Arch of Antoninus Pius.jpg, Arch of Antoninus Pius and Capitoline temples The caliph at the time of the battle was Uthman ibn Affan, who set the army under the leadership of Abdullah ibn Saad. At his arrival to
Barqa Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
, Uqba ibn Nafi and his troops joined the main army and the two commanders prepared together the plan to conquer Sbeitla. The battle was long and hard, and Caliph Uthman sent reinforcement under the leadership of
Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam ( ar, عبد الله ابن الزبير ابن العوام, ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-ʿAwwām; May 624 CE – October/November 692), was the leader of a caliphate based in Mecca that rivaled the ...
. The three leaders prepared a new battle plan and they finally succeeded in taking Sufetula. The Muslim conquest marked the end of the diocese of Sufetula, which was however nominally revived as a Catholic titular bishopric.


Geography

Sbeitla is located in western central Tunisia. By road it is 33 kilometres (29 mi) north-east of Kasserine, 246 kilometres (180 mi) south-west of Tunis, and 166 kilometres (141 mi) south-west of Sousse. The city is known by its semi-arid climate.


Culture

Thanks to the well preserved archaeological site with its prestigious Roman forum, the cultural activities in Sbeitla have prospered. An annual festival is organised in the forum.


Museums

The archaeological museum of Sbeitla houses several sculptures and
mosaics A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
. It consists of three exhibition rooms: the first one is about the Capsian culture, the second about the rest of
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
' empire, and the third contains two mosaics.


Festivals

Since 2000, the city holds its
Spring International Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device) A spring is an elastic object that stores mechanical energy. In everyday use the term often refers to coil springs, but there are many differen ...
festival each year, it is an international celebration where many famous actors like
Mahmoud Yacine Mahmoud Yassin ( ar, محمود ياسين; 19 February 1941 – 14 October 2020) was an Egyptian actor. He was an iconic actor in both Egyptian cinema and television, portraying dramatic, psychological and romantic roles. Career Yassin studied l ...
and authors like
Mahmoud Messadi Mahmoud Messadi ( aeb, محمود المسعدي; 28 January 1911– 16 December 2004) was a Tunisian author and intellectual who also served as Minister of Education and Minister of Culture. He is one of the most prominent Tunisian novelists of t ...
were honored. The city celebrates also its international festival named also ''festival abadelah of Sbeitla''. It was founded in 2000, and it became international in 2013.


Economy

The economy of Sbeitla relays on handicraft, agricultural and petroleum production managed by ETAP in the
oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
of
Douleb Douleb ( ar, الدولاب ) is a small town in north-central Tunisia, belongs to Sbeitla in the Kasserine Governorate. It is well known by it oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons ...
. Smuggling goods and oil from Algerian Borders represent a major parallel economy activity in the region.


Agricultural

The city is surrounded by a large field of agriculture of
olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
,
almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within the genus ...
and
animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...
. It contains 919
shallow wells A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
, 137 deep wells, a mountain lake and a mountain dam the irrigated Area remains limited to 2930 hectares.


Petroleum industries

The
Oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations. Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
of
Douleb Douleb ( ar, الدولاب ) is a small town in north-central Tunisia, belongs to Sbeitla in the Kasserine Governorate. It is well known by it oil field A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons ...
is one of the fields explored by ETAP, since April 12, 1968 and it produces 230 000 barrels\year. In 1974, the field reached it maximal productivity with 1200m3 per day.


Handicraft

The majority of handicraft known in Sbeitla relay on wool processing. Tunisian barnous is one of those handcrafts.


Sports

Sbeitla's most popular sport club is ''Union Sportive Sbeitla'' also known as USS, the club plays in the
Tunisian ligue professionnelle 3 Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 3 is the 3rd tier of football in Tunisia. 42 teams compete at this level, divided into 3 groups of 14 teams each. 2016–17 clubs Group 1 * Ahly Mateur * AS Metline * Association Mégrine Sport * AS Mhamdia * AS O ...
before being promoted to
ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by Balkrishna Industries, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions ...
in the 2013 season . The team currently plays in the Third Tunisian League. On June 5, 2013, the club advanced to the Quarter-finals of
Tunisian Cup The Tunisian Cup , officially named the President's Cup, is the official competition of the Cup in Tunisian football and is considered the second most important local title after the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1. The first cup competition was h ...
for the first time in its history. After defeating
Stade Tunisien Stade Tunisien (; ar, الملعب التونسي) or ST is a football club from Bardo, Tunis, Tunisia. Alongside Espérance de Tunis and Club Africain it forms the group of three best teams in the capital city region. Founded in 1948, it is th ...
, the club was eliminated by CA Bizertin." Tunisian Cup : Stade Tunisien was eliminated by Union Sportive Sbeitla ", ''Mosaïque FM'', juin 9, 2013
/ref>


Notable people

* Ali Ben Ghedhahem (1814 - October 10, 1867) a famous Tunisian
revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...
. * Mongi Soussi Zarrouki (February 24, 1936 – May 26, 2000) is an
athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...
who participated in
1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...
and in the 1959 Mediterranean Games. *
Lotfi Ben Jeddou Lotfi Ben Jeddou (born 31 July 1964 in SbeitlaBiography of Lotfi Ben Jeddou, Minister of the Interior
''Express FM'', January 27, 2014
) is a politician who was the
Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
from March 2013 to february 2015.


See also

*
Sufetula (see) The Catholic diocese of Sufetula was an ancient bishopric in the city of Sufetula, on the site of modern Tunisian Sbeitla, in the Roman province of Byzacena. Background file:Tab Peut 03 ASC.jpg , Peutinger Table. Sufetula, also known as Speitla, ...
, the former Catholic bishopric turned titular see


References


External links


Lexicorient
{{Authority control Populated places in Kasserine Governorate Roman sites in Tunisia 69 establishments Communes of Tunisia Populated places of the Byzantine Empire Roman amphitheaters in North Africa Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Tunisia