Tabarka ( ') is a coastal town located in north-western

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, close to the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. Tabarka was occupied at various times by

Punics The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people who migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'', ...

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, Genoese and

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. The town is dominated by an offshore rock on which there remains a Genoese castle. Nationalist leader

Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian politician and statesman who served as the Head of Government of Tunisia, prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia from 1956 to 1957, and then as the first president of Tunisia from 1 ...

, later president of post-independence Tunisia, was exiled on Tabarka by the French colonial authorities in 1952. Tourist attractions include coral fishing, the Coralis Festival of

underwater photography Underwater photography is the practice of capturing images beneath the surface of the water, often done while scuba diving, but can also be done while diving on surface supply, snorkeling, swimming, from a submersible or remotely operated und ...

, and its annual

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

festival.

Name

Tabarka was known to the Carthaginians as (). This was transcribed into

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

as ''Thaúbraka'' () and into

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

as ''Thabraca''. In modern day

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 ...

it is known as ''Tabarka'' or ''Tbarga'', while its

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

name is ''Ṭbarqa'' ().

History

Although older sources placed Thabraca within the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

, recent ones agree on placing it in the Roman province of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, known also as ''Africa Proconsularis''. It was a

Roman colony A Roman (: ) was originally a settlement of Roman citizens, establishing a Roman outpost in federated or conquered territory, for the purpose of securing it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It ...

. It was connected by a road with Simitthu, which it served as a port for the export of its famous

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

. The rebellious Roman official

Gildo Gildo (died 398) was a Roman Berber general in the province of Mauretania Caesariensis. He revolted against Honorius and the Western Roman Empire ( Gildonic war), but was defeated and possibly killed himself or was assassinated. Etymology The ...

, the brother of Firmus, committed suicide in Thabraca. Under the

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

king

Gaiseric Gaiseric ( – 25 January 477), also known as Geiseric or Genseric (; reconstructed Vandalic: ) was king of the Vandals and Alans from 428 to 477. He ruled over a kingdom and played a key role in the decline of the Western Roman Empire during ...

, the town had a monastery for men and a convent for women. Tabarka plan 1770

From 1540 to 1742, the Genoese maintained a garrison on the adjacent island, also called Tabarka, which lies about off the town. In 1540 the island was given by the Ottoman Bey of Tunis as a concession to the Genoese Lomellini family. The Genoese were in the service of Spain during 1553 at the request of

Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

who was interested in coral fishing. The Lomellini were part of the circle of

Andrea Doria Andrea Doria, Prince of Melfi (; ; 30 November 146625 November 1560) was an Italian statesman, ', and admiral, who played a key role in the Republic of Genoa during his lifetime. From 1528 until his death, Doria exercised a predominant influe ...

, Doge of Genoa, and were related to the Grimaldi family. The grant was possibly due to a secret ransom for the release of the pirate Turkish

Dragut Dragut (; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the ...

, captured in 1540 by Giannettino Doria, nephew of Andrea Doria. The Lomellini colonized Tabarca with a group of inhabitants of

Pegli Pegli () is a neighbourhood in the west of Genoa, Italy. With other eighteen autonomous municipalities, in 1926 it ceased being independent and was merged into the municipality of Great Genoa, Genoa. With a mild climate and a promenade, Pegli is ...

, near Genoa, where they had various properties and a huge palace. The community of Pegliesi lived in Tabarka for several centuries. In 1738 due to the exhaustion of the coral reefs and the deterioration of relations with the Arab population a large group of "Tabarkini" moved to

San Pietro Island San Pietro Island (Italian language, Italian: ''Isola di San Pietro'', Ligurian (Romance language), Ligurian Tabarchino: ''Uiza de San Pé'', Sardinian language, Sardinian: ''Isula 'e Sàntu Pèdru'') is an island approximately off the South ...

off Sardinia, then uninhabited, where they founded a new town of

Carloforte Carloforte (''U Pàize'' in Ligurian, literally: ''the village, the town'') is a fishing and resort town located on Isola di San Pietro (Saint Peter's Island), approximately off the southwestern coast of Sardinia, in the Province of South Sard ...

. The transfer was made possible thanks to the King of Sardinia,

Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from his father's abdication on 3 September 1730 until his death in 1773. He was the paternal grandfather of the l ...

who wanted to colonize those of his lands which were not yet inhabited. The name of Carloforte was chosen in honor of the sovereign. Another group of Tabarkini was resettled in the town of

Calasetta Calasetta ( Ligurian: ''Câdesédda'') is a small town (population 2,919) and ''comune'' located on the island of Sant'Antioco, off the Southwestern coast of Sardinia, Italy. History While the town itself dates to 1770. In the middle of the 16th ...

on the adjacent Island of

Sant'Antioco Sant'Antioco (; ) is the name of both an island and a municipality (''comune'') in southwestern Sardinia, in the Province of South Sardinia, in Sulcis zone. With a population of 11,730, the municipality of Sant'Antioco it is the island's largest ...

, whose population still speaks a variant of

Genoese dialect Genoese, locally called or (), is the prestige dialect of Ligurian, spoken in and around the Italian city of Genoa, the capital of Liguria. A majority of remaining speakers of Genoese are elderly. Several associations are dedicated to keeping ...

originating from Tabarka. Others were moved to the Spanish island of New Tabarca. In 1741 or 1742, the Genoese fortress surrendered to the (nominally Ottoman but essentially autonomous)

Bey of Tunis Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic languages, Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of various ...

. At Tabarka, the ruins consists of a pit once used as a church and some fragments of walls which belonged to Christian buildings. There were also two Ottoman Turkish fortresses, one of which has been repaired. A French expedition was dispatched to capture Tabarka but failed. Under French colonial rule it was annexed to the civil district of Souk el-Arba, now in the Tunisian governorate of

Jendouba Jendouba ( ; Formerly known as Souk El Arba until 30 April 1966) is a city in northwestern Tunisia, and capital of the Jendouba Governorate. It is an important crossroads with many road links to other towns such as El Kef, Tabarka, Ain Draham ...

, and a rather important fishing centre.

Tabarka Jazz Festival The Tabarka Jazz Festival () is an annual festival of jazz held in the coastal town of Tabarka in Tunisia. Established in 1973 for four years, it was revived again in 1997. The Tabarka Jazz Festival is held annually in July at the Basilica of Taba ...

was established in 1973.

Ecclesiastical history

Thabraca became a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

that is no longer a residential see but is included in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

's list of

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

s.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 979 was also the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

of an ancient

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

and in antiquity it had a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

for men and one for women, Thabraca
at Catholic Encyclopedia.org and several

church Building A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services and Christian activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD. ''Church'' is also ...

s and

cemeteries have been uncovered. The city contains several Christian cemeteries, many of the tombs covered with curious

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 (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

. An inscription (C.I.L., VIII, 173-82) mentions the cult of the martyr Anastasia and her companions. Bishops The

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s of Thabraca, who met with the other bishops of

Proconsular Africa Africa was a Roman province on the northern coast of the continent of Africa. It was established in 146 BC, following the Roman Republic's conquest of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisi ...

, included: *Victoricus, at the Council of Carthage (256) *Rusticianus, at the conference of Carthage in 411, where his competitor was the

Donatist Donatism was a schism from the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Carthage from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers and sacraments to ...

Charentius; he also signed in 416 the letter from the council of Proconsular Africa to

Pope Innocent I Pope Innocent I () was the bishop of Rome from 401 to his death on 12 March 417. From the beginning of his papacy, he was seen as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. He confirmed the prerogatives of ...

; *Clarissimus, who in 646 signed the letter from the same Council to

Patriarch Paul II of Constantinople Paul II of Constantinople (Greek: Παῦλος; died 27 December 653) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 1 October 641 to his death. He assumed regency for Byzantine emperor Constans II after a succession crisis in 641. Stephan ...

against the

Monothelites Monothelitism, or monotheletism was a theological doctrine in Christianity that was proposed in the 7th century, but was ultimately rejected by the sixth ecumenical council. It held Christ as having only one will and was thus contrary to dyoth ...

. The

was founded during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

and survived through the

arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

and Orthodox

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

empires, only ceasing to function with the

Muslim conquest of the Maghreb The conquest of the Maghreb by the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates commenced in 647 and concluded in 709, when the Byzantine Empire lost its last remaining strongholds to Caliph Al-Walid I. The North African campaigns were part of the century ...

. The

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

was re-founded in name at least in the 20th century as a

of the

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Titular Episcopal See of Thabraca
at GCatholic.org.
at catholic-hierarchy.org. Titular bishops * Pierre Brigot, (22 Jan 1755 Appointed – 8 Nov 1791) *St. Louis Gabriel Taurin Dufresse, (24 Jul 1798 Appointed – 14 Sep 1815) *

Edward Kernan Edward Kernan (born 1771 in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland) was an Irish priest in the Diocese of Clogher ordained in 1795. He was educated at Portora Royal School, and studied for the priesthood in the Irish College in Salamanca, Spai ...

(6 Feb 1818 Appointed – 19 Nov 1824) *

Rémi Gaulin Rémi Gaulin (30 June 1787 – 8 May 1857) was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop who spent time in the service of Bishop Joseph-Octave Plessis. Plessis ordained Gaulin in 1811 and appointed him curate to Alexander MacDonell in Upper Canada. ...

† (10 May 1833 Appointed – 14 Jan 1840 Succeeded, Bishop of Kingston, Ontario) *Bernardino di Milia, (27 Mar 1884 Appointed – 4 Jun 1891) *

Antonin Guillermain Antonin Guillermain (1 January 1861 – 14 July 1896) was a Catholic missionary who was Vicar Apostolic of Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Nyanza, Northern Nyanza in what is now Uganda from January 1895 until his death in July 1896. Early yea ...

, (12 Jan 1895 Appointed – 14 Jul 1896) * Henri Streicher, (1 Feb 1897 Appointed – 2 Jun 1933) *Auguste-Joseph-Marie Cogneau (23 Jun 1933 Appointed – 12 Apr 1952) * Georges Kettel, (24 Mar 1953 Appointed – 10 Nov 1959) *Charles Quentin Bertram Olwell, (19 Jan 1961 Appointed – 30 Jan 1972) * Antônio Agostinho Marochi (27 Sep 1973 Appointed – 2 Feb 1976) * Sebastian Acol Dalis (18 Nov 1987 Appointed – 27 Oct 2004 Died) * Pedro Joaquin Hernández Cantarero, (12 Feb 2005 Appointed – )

Weather

Climate

The weather in Tabarka is usually variable from year to year. Summers are mostly hot and dry, but milder than the Saharan hinterland. It barely rains in July and August. The average temperatures for this season is . Winters are mostly rainy and mild. The average temperature for this season is .

Transport

The airport in Tabarka was named ''Airport 7 Novembre'' until the Tunisian revolution; it was then renamed Tabarka-Ain Draham International Airport.

Gallery

File:Modifier (211301149).jpeg File:Port de Tabarka.jpg File:Tabarka - Golf Beach - panoramio.jpg File:Vue de la mer du Port de Tabarka.jpg File:ViewTabarkaBorj.JPG File:Tabarka le soir.jpg File:Tabarka Jendouba.png File:Aiop.jpg File:Tabarka port 02.jpg File:Tabarka green.jpg, alt= File:Tabarka tunisia.jpg, alt= File:Tabarka ❤️.jpg, alt=

References

Citations

Notes

Bibliography

* * . * .

External links

Tabarka.Com Tabarka Guide

Tabarka.Org

Photo gallery of Tabarka in 1924. French Naval Intelligence

* {{Authority control Communes of Tunisia Populated places in Jendouba Governorate Populated coastal places in Tunisia Ottoman Tunisia Thabraca Territories of the Republic of Genoa Phoenician colonies in Tunisia