Majaz al Bab ( ar, مجاز الباب), also known as Medjez el Bab, or as Membressa under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

, is a town in northern

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. It is located at the intersection of roads GP5 and GP6, in the ''Plaine de la Medjerda''.

Commonwealth war grave site

There is a

Commonwealth War Grave The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...

site at Majaz al Bab, largely dedicated to those who fell during the North African campaign, including Operation Torch and the

Tunisia Campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. The ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. The

Medjez-El-Bab Memorial The Medjez-El-Bab Memorial is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission war memorial in the Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery near Majaz al Bab, Tunisia. The memorial commemorates 2,525 Commonwealth forces members who died in Tunisia and Algeria during Worl ...

commemorates almost 2,000 men of the British First Army who died during the operations in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

and Tunisia between 8 November 1942 and 19 February 1943, and those of the British First and British Eighth Armies who died in operations in the same areas between 20 February and 13 May 1943, and who have no known graves. The memorial stands within Medjez-El-Bab War Cemetery where 2,903 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War are buried or commemorated. 385 of the burials are unidentified. Special memorials commemorate three soldiers buried in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

(Borgel) Cemetery and one in Youks-les-Bains Cemetery, whose graves are now lost. The five First World War burials in Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery were brought in from Tunis (Belvedere) Cemetery or

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, 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 clas ...

(Basilica Karita) Cemetery in 1950.

Haouanet

The ''haouanet'' at Majaz al Bab are extensive. ''Haouanet'' (plural of the word ''hanout'' (حانوت), which means "shop" in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

) are ancient sepulchral chambers hollowed out of the rock. Of approximately cubic form, and 1.25 to 2.50 meters long, with an entrance of almost constant dimension of 1.80 meters by 60 centimeters, they are found mainly in Tunisia and the eastern regions of Algeria. These burials, with one or more funeral chambers, sometimes had interior fittings (bench or pit). Presumably of

Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tuni ...

n origin, the ''haouanet'' were used until the

Antiquity

During the

Majaz al Bab was a

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () o ...

of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') 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 rule ...

of Africa Proconsolaris called ''Membressa'', and was the site of the Battle of the Bagradas River (536) where the Byzantine general

Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean ter ...

was victorious over the rebel

Stotzas Stotzas (Greek: Στότζας), also Stutias, Theophanes writes him Tzotzas (Τζότζας), was an East Roman (Byzantine) soldier and leader of a military rebellion in the Praetorian prefecture of Africa in the 530s. Stotzas attempted to establ ...

. It was also the

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...

of a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

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 ...

; a Bishop Victor attended the Concilium Lateranense in 649. There was also a Roman settlement at

Chaouach Chaouach is a village in Béja Governorate, Tunisia. It is located between Béja and Tunis and north of Majaz al Bab, Medjez-El-Bab (36° 42' 42" N, 9° 32' 24" E). The area sits in a valley high up the sides of the Catchment, watershed of the Medj ...

outside of Medjez-El-Bab called Suas. During the

this part of the Medjerda river valley had a high density of

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 ...

s, with four other

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s resident within 10 kilometers of the Majaz al Bab.

References

Communes of Tunisia Populated places in Béja Governorate Cities in Tunisia Catholic titular sees in Africa {{Tunisia-geo-stub