Béja ( ') is a city in

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 ...

. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located from

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, between the Medjerdah River and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Béja is situated on the sides of Djebel Acheb, facing the greening meadows, its white terraces and red roofs dominated by the imposing ruins of the old

Roman 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 ...

fortress.

History

Etymology

Classical era period

The city endured brutal assaults by the

Carthaginians The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...

, the

Numidians The Numidians were the Berber population of Numidia (present-day Algeria). The Numidians were originally a semi-nomadic people, they migrated frequently as nomads usually do, but during certain seasons of the year, they would return to the same ...

, the Romans, and, later on, by the

Vandals 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 Vand ...

. The Numidian king

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia, the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Micipsa's two sons, Hiempsal and Adherbal ...

made the town his governing headquarters. Originally the town was named Waga, which became Vacca and then Vaga under the Romans and eventually Baja under the

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 ...

and Béja under the French. The Romans destroyed the old Carthaginian citadel and replaced it with a new one; they built fortifications that are still standing today. Under the Roman domination, Béja became prosperous and was the center of a diocese. According to

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (, ; –35 BC), was a historian and politician of the Roman Republic from a plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became a partisan of Julius ...

, who relates the details of the

Jugurthine War The Jugurthine War (; 112–106 BC) was an armed conflict between the Roman Republic and King Jugurtha of Numidia, a kingdom on the north African coast approximating to modern Algeria. Jugurtha was the nephew and adopted son of Micipsa, ki ...

between Jugurtha and

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus () was an ancient Roman statesman and general. He was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction of the Roman Senate. He was a bitter political opponent of Gaius Marius. He was Roman consul, consul in 1 ...

to possess Béja, Béja was the wealthiest warehouse of the kingdom and the center of intense commerce. The city was taken and destroyed by the Vandals. The citadel and ramparts were demolished. The abandoned town remained in that state for a century until the arrival of the Byzantines. They renovated the fortress and took real pleasure in beautifying Béja.

Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates

After the

Umayyad conquest of North Africa 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 of ...

in the late 6th century and early 7th century, the city became part of the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a member o ...

, and later the

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

Al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

described Béja in the mid 12th century:

"On the way from
Tabarka Tabarka ( ') is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, close to the Algeria–Tunisia border, border with Algeria. Tabarka was occupied at various times by Punic people, Punics, Greeks, Roman people, Romans, Arabs, Genoa, Genoese and O ...
to
Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, there is the city of Beja, which is a beautiful city located in a lowland area with abundant wheat and barley. It produces more and higher-quality crops than any other region in the Maghreb . The city enjoys healthy air, plenty of prosperity, and a large income. The Arabs control the taxes of its region and the surrounding land. In the middle of the city, there is a spring, with stairs leading down to it, and it is from this spring that the people of the city drink. Outside the city, there is no vegetation except for some small hills and farms. Between Beja and Tabarka, there is a marhala -day journeyand a little more. To the north of Beja, along the salty sea, lies the city of Marsa al-Kharz, and between Beja and Marsa al-Kharz, there is a big marhala."

In the book Al Istibsar fi 'agaib al-Amsar, written in the late 12th century, the author describes the city as:

"a great, ancient, and timeless city with ruins from the early peoples. It has a strong and ancient fortress built of massive stone, constructed with remarkable precision. .Situated on a brilliantly white mountain known as ''al-Shams (The Sun)'' due to its brightness, and abundant in rivers and springs. Among these springs is a great one called Ayn al-Shams ''(Eye of sun)'', located beneath the city’s wall. The city gate faces this spring and is known as ''Bab Ayn al-Shams''. Béja is extremely inexpensive in terms of price .It holds great administrative importance and has many large, thriving villages. Among its villages is one known as ''Al-Mughayriyya'', a large settlement with numerous ancient ruins, including well-preserved churches. Their construction is so precise that it appears as if they were built only yesterday. The floors are entirely paved with fine marble.

Modern Period

In 1880 France occupied Tunisia. On April 24, 1881, Béja in its turn was occupied by the column led by Logerot who had arrived from

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 ...

through the Kef.

World War II

On November 16, 1942, a German military delegation came to Béja to give Mayor Jean Hugon a 24-hour ultimatum to surrender the city. In response to the ultimatum the Mayor informed civil governor, Clement, who in turn sent the message to Algiers. The next day, November 17, the first British parachute battalion landed on the hills north of the city. On Thursday November 19 German planes bombed the town for the first time, as a warning. This broke the long period of peace Béja had known for many centuries. The next day, Friday November 20, Béja was heavily bombed by German airplanes for many hours, because of its key position leading to the roads of

Tabarka Tabarka ( ') is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, close to the Algeria–Tunisia border, border with Algeria. Tabarka was occupied at various times by Punic people, Punics, Greeks, Roman people, Romans, Arabs, Genoa, Genoese and O ...

, Mateur,

Bizerte Bizerte (, ) is the capital and largest city of Bizerte Governorate in northern Tunisia. It is the List of northernmost items, northernmost city in Africa, located north of the capital Tunis. It is also known as the last town to remain under Fr ...

and Algeria. The town became the stage for ferocious battles between the Germans and the Allies who fiercely defended it, at the expense of severe military and civil losses. The final German assault Operation Ochsenkopf – was launched from Mateur and was halted from Béja, on the night of February 28, 1943, by British troops.

Geographical features

Located in North West Tunisia on the ''White Hill'' and crossed by the

Medjerda River The Medjerda River (), the classical antiquity, classical Bagradas, is a river in North Africa flowing from northeast Algeria through Tunisia before emptying into the Gulf of Tunis and Lake of Tunis. With a length of , it is the longest river of ...

, the features made the city famous for its fertile soil, Béja drew all the masters of the Mediterranean. The

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

set up important trading posts. Their presence is felt through numerous

Punic 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'' ...

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

which have been unearthed in 1887. The

, recognizing the importance of maintaining their authority in this area, built a garrison and fortified the town. Béja was extremely desirable, not only because of its fertile soil but because of its geographic location. It was at the doorway of the mountains and it was the crossroad for

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

and Tunis going toward

Cirta Cirta, also known by #Names, various other names in classical antiquity, antiquity, was the ancient Berbers, Berber, Punic people, Punic and Roman Empire, Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria, Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was ...

and

Hippone Hippo Regius (also known as Hippo or Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of Annaba, Algeria. It served as an important city for the Phoenicians, Berbers, Romans, and Vandals. Hippo was the capital city of the Vandal Kingdom from AD 4 ...

Climate

Béja has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa'').

Administration

The Béja is the

chef-lieu An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

of the Béja Governorate. The city is since July 13, 1887, a municipality, from that day to today there were built 3 town halls, the last one was built in 1933, the building is now a classified monument.

Religion

Like the rest of Tunisians, most of the Béjeans are

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

with a small minority of irreligious. In the past there was a small community of

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and a bigger one of Christians (most of them were European colons), but after the independence of

from France, all of them quit the city to Europe, North America and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. The city shelters many religion buildings like mosques, churches and synagogues. The oldest mosque of the town is Great Mosque of Béja which was built in 944 by the

Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...

on an old Christian

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

. Near it there is another mosque, the Bey's Mosque, which was built in 1675 by Murad II Bey for the Hanafi Muslims of the city. In 1685 Mohamed Bey El Mouradi added a

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

to the mosque. After the settlement of the French protectorate in Tunisia, many Europeans come to the city to exploit the rich agricultural land, so to satisfy their religious demands the colonial authorities decided a church which was completed in 1883. After the increasing in number of colons in Béja, the church become too small for them, so the authorities decided to demolish it and build instead of it a bigger one, ''The Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Church''. After the independence of Tunisia and the migration of Christians from the country, the church become a cultural centre in Béja. The city, an ancient bishopric, is still listed under its ancient name of

Vaga VAGA is an artists collective dedicated to improving mental health and fighting cognitive decline through art therapy. The organisation brings together artists, clinicians and academic psychologists to foster research collaboration and the develo ...

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 ...

by 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 ...

. Titular Episcopal See of Vaga
at GCatholic.org. Béja mosquée.jpg, The Great Mosque of Béja La mosquée du Bey.JPG, The Bey's Mosque Eglise Notre Dame du Rosaire.JPG, The Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Church

Education

There are 15 elementary schools, 7 preparatory schools, 6 secondary schools and 3 educational institutes in Béja.

Elementary schools

* Victor Hugo Elementary School * Farhat Hached Elementary School * Habib Bourguiba Avenue Elementary School * El-Moustakbel Elementary School * Sidi Fredj Elementary School * El-Mahla Elementary School * Ali El-Kalsadi Elementary School * Ksar Bardo Elementary School * Hay Essoker 1 Elementary School * Hay Essoker 2 Elementary School * El-Mzara Elementary School

Preparatory schools

* Al-Iadhi Al-Beji Preparatory School * Ali Al-Qalsadi Preparatory School * Ibn Al-Jazar Preparatory School * Habib Bourguiba Avenue Preparatory School * Rached Preparatory School * Béja Al*Moustakbel Preparatory School * Al-Houria Preparatory School * Ibn-Arafa Preparatory School

Secondary schools

* Ibn Al-Haytham Secondary School * Ibn Al-Jazzar Secondary School * March 2, 1934, Secondary School * Al-Biaa Secondary School * Ali Belhouane Secondary School * Omar El Kalchani Secondary School

Institutes

* Higher Institute of Technological Studies of Béja * Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Béja * Higher Institute of Applied Languages and Computer of Béja

Historical Places

Kasbah of Béja : The Kasbah of Béja, is a castle built during the

area over the ruins of another Carthaginian castle, the Kasbah was destroyed during the Vandal invasion of Tunisia, it was lately rebuilt by the

Byzantine Empire 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 History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and improved and fortified through the years of the Islamic rule, the Kasbah played a major role in protecting the city from various invasion, it's located on the top of the city.
Béja Bardo Palace : Is an ancient royal residence built by the heir of the Husainid thrown Ali Pecha II in 1734 then it was renovated by Ali Pecha II. The Bardo Palace of Béja is now in ruins.
The Great Mosque of Béja : The Great Mosque of Béja is one of the oldest mosques of the country, built in 944 by the Fatimide Caliph Al-Mansur Billah in 944 on the ruins of an old Roman basilica.
Mosque Al-Jazzar is a very old mosque built by Ahmed Al-Jazzar, a Muslim ascetic, during the Aghlabib era in the 10th century.
The Hanafi Mosque : The Hanafi Mosque is a mosque built in Béja in 1675 by Murad II Bey, it's called the Hanafit mosque because it was dedicated to the

Hanafi The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...

minority of the city.
Sidi Boutefeha Mausoleum : Sidi Boutefeha Mausoleum is a mausoleum built in the 17th century in memory to the young Sufi

Wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

Sidi Sulaymeb Al-Tamimi who was known as Boutefeha (The Father of The Appel).
Sidi Baba Ali Smadhi Mausoleum : Sidi Baba Ali Smadhi Mausoleum is mausoleum built 1666 by the Sufi

Marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

Ali Smadhi. The Mausoleum played a major role during the Husainid-Pechist civil war, it's also an important cultural and political center of Béja.
The Qadiriyya Mausoleum : The Qadiriyya Mausoleum is a mausoleum belonging to the

Qadiri The Qadiriyya () or the Qadiri order () is a Sunni Sufi order (''Tariqa'') founded by Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166, also transliterated ''Jilani''), who was a Hanbali scholar from Gilan, Iran. The order, with its many sub-orders, is wides ...

Sufi order who was very influential in the city, the mausoleum was built in 1816 by the Sufi poet Miled Jaweni Cherif. The Qadiriyya was also known as the Nakhla Mosque.
The Khadharin Mausoleum : The Khadharin Mausoleum is another Qadiri Sufi order mausoleum built in 1780 by Ahmed Blagui.
Sidi Salah Zlaoui Mausoleum : Sidi Salah Zlaoui Mausoleum is mausoleum built in the 18th century by Salah Ibn Mohamed Zlaoui who was a very famous Sufist in Béja, the mausoleum was transformed by Jilani Zlaoui, one of Sidi Salah great-grandsons, into a mosque.
Hammam Bousandel : Hammam Bousandel, is a public bath built in the 10th century, the bath is still operative till today.
Sabil Saheb Ettabaâ : Sabil Saheb Ettabaâ is a fountain built by

Grand Vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Youssef Saheb Ettabaa in 1800.

Notable people

* Amor Chouikha - A scholar in religion and a teacher in Zaytouna. Thé first in front of the owners of Muted Pasha Mosque, the author of many books and works and judge, died in 1972 in Beja. *

Mohamed Larbi Zarrouk Khaznadar Mohamed Larbi Zarrouk Khaznadar (; born c. 1760 in Le Bardo, died 29 October 1822 in Tunis) was the Prime Minister of Tunisia, Prime Minister and Khaznadar, or minister of finance, of the Beylik of Tunis. Family He was born to a wealthy feuda ...

– 4th Grand Vizir of Tunisia from 1815 to 1822 (born in Le Bardo but his family is from Béja) * Ismaïl Fathali –

Tunisian Army The Tunisian Land Army (, ) is the ground component of the Tunisian Armed Forces . The Land Forces Command is located in Bizerte. The TAF itself was created on June 30, 1956. The Land Army is the largest service branch within the Tunisian Armed ...

Chief of Staff * Wassila Ben Ammar – 2sd Tunisian First Lady from 1962 to 1986 * Ammar Farhat – Famous Tunisian painter * Slaheddine Ben Mbarek – Former Tunisian minister of National Economy, Commerce, Industry and Agriculture * Guy Bono – Former French MEP from The Socialist Party *

Neji Jouini Neji Jouini (; born 12 August 1949) is a former Tunisian football referee. He is known for having refereed three matches in the FIFA World Cup, one in 1990 and two in 1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Fa ...

– Former football referee * Mohamed Ali Yousfi – Writer and translator * Maurice Audin – Mathematician, member of the Algerian Communist Party and an activist in the anticolonialist cause * Rafiq Belhaj Kacem – Former

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 ...

* Afouène Gharbi –

Footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

* Sofiane Labidi – Sprinter * Moïne Chaâbani –

* Mohamed Sayari – Famous Tunisian actor and theatre director * Chaker Zouagi –

Gallery

Place de 14 janvier 2011 de Béja.JPG Place de l'amitié 1.JPG Usine Kromberg & Schubert.JPG الجامع الكبير بباجة.jpeg Pont Cinquième de Béja1.jpg Beja agriculture.jpg Souk Marche Beja.JPG

Sister cities

Beja, Portugal Beja (), officially the City of Beja (), is a city and a List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality in the Alentejo region, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 35,854, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 21,658 in 2001. The ...

''(1993)'' * Gibellina, Italy ''(2012)''

External links

Site officiel de la municipalité de Béja

250 cartes postales anciennes de Béja (1900–1950)

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beja Communes of Tunisia Populated places in Béja Governorate Cities in Tunisia Historic Jewish communities in North Africa Phoenician colonies in Tunisia