Mahdia

Mahdia (rear RTL مهدية) is a coastal town Tunisia located at 205 kilometers in the south of Tunis. Chief town of the governorship of the same name, it constitutes a municipality of 45.977 inhabitants.

Built in the beginning on a Peninsula 1400 meters length on 500 meters of width, it shelters one of the first port S of fishing of the country. Moreover, the tourist activity weighs more and more in the local economy. Lastly, it is a center tertaire under development which has developed for a few years a pole of higher education (with in particular the establishment of the open Institute of economy and management in 1999).

If the historical quarters of Mahdia are located on the peninsula, the city extended towards the interior of the grounds (by the districts of Hiboun and Zouila in particular).

History

Its historical names are Jemma , Aphrodisium and Cape Africa .

Its strategic geographical location and its fortifications make it possible the town of play a leading role in the Mediterranean basin until the 16th century. Mahdia is first of all a counter Roman phenician then under the name of Aphrodisium before being officially founded in 916 by the first Caliph fatimide Ubayd Allah Al-Mahdi which leaves him its current name. The city becomes thus the “capital” of Fatimides in 921. Besieged during eight month (944 - 945) by the kharidjites, the city resists victoriously.

In 1057, the Zirides take refuge there vis-a-vis the threat of the Hilaliens. Roger II of Sicily (1st Norman count of Sicily) occupies it in 1148 and maintains its base on the city until the fall of this one, in the first days of 1160, with the hands of the Almohades. The city then loses its political importance with the profit of Tunis, but does not remain about it less one important port regarded as the key of the country.

The city is the prey of several seats. In 1390, in front of the loss of its trading positions in Tunisia in favor of Venice, Genoa organizes a military forwarding wanting to give him the character of a news Croisade to the pretext of avenge piracy for the Barbaresque S against the Christians. It obtains the assistance of a body of Franco-English lords, whose Louis II of Bourbon takes the command. The place, defended by the Arabs of Candle (Béjaïa), of Bône, Constantine and other countries of the the Maghreb, assisted from the Tunisians, resists all the attacks, and the allies, that the disagreements are not long in dividing, are obliged to take again the sea after sixty and one days of unfruitful combat.

Mahdia is taken at the 16th century by the Corsaire Dragut which makes its reference mark of it. Charles Quint seizes the city in 1550. The Spanish remain there until in 1554 and, while setting out again, make jump the ramparts which the Othoman will rebuild only partially. From the city its calm found and became one of the largest fishing ports of Tunisia.

The galère of Mahdia , going up with the I {{er}} front century J. - C. and charged with Athenian objets d'art is found with six kilometers with broad of Mahdia. It makes city one of the richest sites of the underwater Archéologie in Tunisia.

Ethnology and social history

During the evacuation of the city, the Spanish armies take care to expel the quasi-majority of the populations autochtones. Paradoxically, one knows few things of Mahdois before the arrival of the Othomans. Is Shiite as could suppose it the past fatimide city? Are they in majority “Eastern”, namely related with the Syro - Lebanon board? Are they quite simply arabo - Berbères like their immediate ethnic environment? It is difficult to answer it but always is it that, following the Othoman conquest, the city is exangue. However, the new Masters Turkish easily include/understand the high strategic value of Mahdia. Also hastens they to repopulate it. Many Tunisian historians agree to say that the majority of the former inhabitants then enlarge the rows of the towns of Monastir, Sousse or Sfax so much the future of Mahdia seems dubious then.

The new occupation of the city will be confined of the one of the ethnic inversions most radical and most singular of all the Tunisian history. Because, in the case of Mahdia, the military requirements will dictate to the Othomans a way different compared to the other agglomerations from the country: the economic and social dilapidation is then total and it is certain that the city does not have any more the structures administrative, cultural and commercial necessary to its revival. Its elite is decimated or dispersed and it is thus imperative to replace it. Coldly installed in Tunisia, the Othomans are wary in addition strongly of this elite urban Arabic-speaking person, cultivated, sure of itself, critical, influential and finally very hostile. Pushed by the need but also the concern of controlling the coasts with human and military lower costs, the Othomans repopulate consequently the city with blows of whole quotas of Mamelouk S and of Janissaire S. Consequently, which is the ethnic origin of Mahdois current? It is diffcile to decide in an exact way. However, two points appear undeniable:

the European or Caucasian origin of Mahdois: Being studied of the morphology of the traditional families of Mahdia, that of Diar (Arab term meaning the “house” within the meaning of the family recognized as being of stock), an impression is released: that of a population whose physical features strike by their European character: Mahdois are generally white of skin. This whiteness remains, in the traditional culture of the classes average and middle-class a fundamental referent of social differentiation. If the distinction between white and nonwhite tends to grow blurred in a public way, it remains prégnante within the private framework of the interpersonal relationships. It remains with the Langue, the selection criteria par excellence, differentiating the beldi - living the village, i.e. the core of origin of the urban center -, the hadhri - word coming from will hadhara (Civilization) - and the asli (inhabitant of stock) but also the individual urban, of good family and equipped with a good instruction and a good education, exerting a liberal, commercial or intellectual activity contrary to the Paysan S, of the Ouvrier S, the aroubis - word coming from arbi (Arab) in negative comparison with the beldi which are generally of European, Turkish or Jewish stock) and of the bedouis (Bedouin).
great homogeneity of the settlement

Economy

Today, the saving in Mahdia is mainly centered on:

the Tourism: its Beach S of white Sand, its many Hotel S, its history and the reception of its inhabitants does of it one of the seaside resorts the most appreciated in Tunisia. The tourist area is located at the north of the city in the district of Hiboun;
fishing: first fishing port of Tunisia, it is very animated, at certain hours, and has canning facilities conditioning blue fish. One can admire there beautiful Chalutier S equipped for the fishing by lamplight (fishing of Nuit);
the Olive oil: the city is located at the east of large a Oliveraie. Oil mills make it possible to produce oil but also Grignons and Savon;
the textile and leather;
the craft industry of wood;

Tourism

Not living yet tourism, the city keeps the charm of a still authentic small town of fishermen, where remains a craft industry of silk. It counts some monuments and sites worthy of interest:

Skifa Kahla (also called Bab Zouila): enormous strengthened door dating from the 16th century, one of the access points to the historical center of Mahdia and one of the rare vestiges of the old ramparts of the city
marine Cemetery: splendid Cemetery located at the end of the peninsula and opening directly on the Stray sea
: several stray S underwater, dating as well from the wars of the the Middle Ages as of the Second world war, lying off the city
Bordj El Kébir: very imposing fortress equipped a passage arched and curved driving in a court imposing and set up in 1595 towards the point with the Cape Africa by Abou Abdallah Mohamed Pasha
Large mosque: founded in 916 by Ubayd Allah Al-Mahdi, undergoing several rehandlings to be finally restored in the Years 1970 in the field of the mosque of the 10th century and rather single in the area because not having a Minaret (built originally by Shiite )

The great majority of the town halls are in seaside. The hotel offer is very varied, energy of the de luxe hotels of five stars in the centers of Thalassothérapie and the hotels of three more accessible stars.

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