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65-471: Neptunalia is still celebrated in the city of Sousse , Tunisia under the name Carnival of Awussu . The celebration transformed as time unfold and lost all religious connotations. This Ancient Rome –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a religious festival is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sousse Sousse or Soussa ( Arabic : سوسة , IPA: [ˈsuːsa] )

130-405: A governorate that extends over 2669 km . It is divided into four municipal districts: Sousse Nord , Sousse Sud , Sousse Médina and Sousse Riadh . The first two were created on 11 February 1976 and the last two on 19 February 1982. Its main constituencies and Delegation are four in number: Sousse Sidi Abdelhamid, Sousse Médina, Sousse Jawhara and Sousse Riadh. Its geographic code is 31. In

195-525: A kasbah and medina , its ribat fortress and long wall on the Mediterranean . Surrounding it is a modern city of long, straight roads and more widely spaced buildings. Sousse was the site of the chess interzonal in 1967, made famous when American Grandmaster Bobby Fischer withdrew from the tournament even though he was in first place at the time. On 26 June 2015, a lone gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi, opened fire on tourists sunbathing on

260-531: A beach near the Riu Imperial Marhaba and Soviva hotels, killing 38 and wounding 39, before being shot dead by the police. As of 2019, Sousse's population was 737,027. Males represent 50.1% of the population structure (with a population of 509,456) against 49.9% by females (with a population of 507,426) in 2014. The city contains the University of Sousse, formerly known as the University of

325-487: A capacity of 40,000 beds extend 20 km (12 mi) from the old city ( medina ) north along the seafront to Port El Kantaoui . Some 1,200,000 visitors come every year to enjoy its hotels and restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, beaches, and sports facilities. Sousse is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its nightlife. Well-known nightclubs include Bora Bora, Living, Rediguana, Platinum, and The Saloon. The top producers and DJs in dance come to play at

390-441: A certain region and even for a certain pottery center. If neither form nor decoration of the material is identifiable, it is possible to trace an item using chemical analysis, not just to a certain region but even to its place of production by comparing its makeup to a matrix of important northeastern and central Tunisian potteries. Pine forests, with a herb layer of grasses, were widespread and economically significant, especially in

455-545: A compact 29 hectares in 1881 to 3,100 hectares in 1992. The secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy also grew accordingly. Sousse has retained the Arabian look and feel it assumed in the centuries after its initial conquest. Today it is considered one of the best examples of seaward-facing fortifications built by the Arabs. With a population of about 200,000, Sousse retains a medieval heart of narrow, twisted streets,

520-621: A large multisport club. Football is the city's most popular sport, and ES Sahel has won the Tunisian football championship ten times and the Tunisian Cup ten times. The team's home ground is Stade Olympique de Sousse . Handball , basketball , and volleyball are also popular. Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies Sousse's climate as hot semi-arid ( BSh ) bordering with hot-summer Mediterranean ( Csa ) and cool semi-arid ( BSk ). The highest recorded temperature

585-662: A significant portion of the town's vitality came from the sale or trade of products through middlemen to markets in areas both rural and abroad. The changes that occurred in the infrastructure for agricultural processing, like olive oil and wine production, as trade continued to develop both cities and commerce directly influenced the volume of artisan production. The scale, quality, and demand for these products reached its acme in Roman Northwest Africa. The Northwest African provinces spanned across regions rich with olive plantations and potters' clay sources, which led to

650-457: A tourist center. The architecture, although modern and dazzlingly white, has been modeled on the more traditional buildings in Tunisia, complete with narrow streets and arches. The hotels that line the beachfront extend from Sousse itself along miles of sparkling clean sea to the harbor of Port El Kantaoui and to the north of the harbor. Located at the entrance to the medina, it was erected by

715-775: Is a city in Tunisia , capital of the Sousse Governorate . Located 140 km (87 mi) south of the capital Tunis , the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014) . Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet , which is a part of the Mediterranean Sea . Its economy is based on transport equipment, processed food, olive oil , textiles, and tourism. It is home to the Université de Sousse . Sousse and Soussa are both French spellings of

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780-416: Is exemplified in the later instances of Northwest African lamps, on which scenes of Christian images like saints, crosses, and biblical figures became commonly articulated topics. Traditional mythological symbols had enduring popularity as well, which can be traced back to Northwest Africa's Punic heritage. Many of the early Northwest African lamps that have been excavated, especially those of high quality, have

845-586: Is in the city center, while Gare Kalaa Seghira serves a bypass route. Since 2010 the electrified Sahel Metro line goes south to Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport , Monastir , and Mahdia . This line has the Sousse - Bab Jadid station as its northern terminus in Sousse's city center, and 4 additional stations in the city. Intercity buses and red-strip microbuses (so-called louages ) connect Sousse with many cities in Tunisia. Urban transit in Sousse

910-510: Is served by routes of articulated and conventional buses, blue-strip louages, and cheap taxis. The 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) Sousse–Kairouan Decauville railway operated from 1882 to 1996, before it was regauged to 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge. A medina , surrounded by its city walls and fortifications, is of historical interest. The medina includes open and covered bazaars (souks). Buildings of historical interest include

975-469: Is the secondary sector , which employs another 45% of the city's workers and includes industries like textiles and leather, construction, chemicals, electronics, and mechanical and electrical components. The small remainder is engaged in the primary sector , mainly fishing. Although smaller than the port in Sfax, Sousse has a port that serves an important commercial outlet for central Tunisia, particularly for

1040-467: The 9th century BC , Semitic-speaking Phoenicians from West Asia built settlements along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to facilitate shipping. Carthage, rising to prominence in the 8th century BC, became the predominant of these. Africa was one of the wealthiest provinces in the western part of the Roman Empire , second only to Italy . In addition to Carthage , other large settlements in

1105-601: The Arabic name Sūsa . The present city has also grown to include the ruins of Hadrumetum , which had many names in several languages during antiquity . Sousse is in the center of Tunisia , on the Tunisian Sahel coast and on the Mediterranean Sea bordering the east of the country. The city covers 45 km2 and is 25 meters above sea level. Sousse is between two wadis : the Wadi Bliban (and its tributary

1170-651: The Roman limes (mainly the Garamantes and the Getuli ), who were reached with Roman expeditions to Sub-Saharan Africa . The willing acceptance of Roman citizenship by members of the ruling class in African cities produced such Roman Africans as the comic poet Terence, the rhetorician Fronto of Cirta, the jurist Salvius Julianus of Hadrumetum, the novelist Apuleius of Madauros, the emperor Septimius Severus of Leptis Magna,

1235-476: The ribat castle, the central mosque, and a historical museum in the Casbah with mosaics from the area's many Roman villas. The Carthaginian catacombs can be visited. UNESCO declared the medina of Sousse a World Heritage Site in 1988, citing among various things its preservation from modern development. The Kantaoui Port, is a touristic station in the form of a Port. It was built in 1979 specifically as

1300-548: The 11th century   BC, Tyrians established Hadrumetum as a trading post and waypoint along their trade routes to Italy and the Strait of Gibraltar . Its establishment (at a river mouth about 9.7 km or 6 mi north of old Sousse) preceded Carthage 's but, like other western Phoenician colonies , it became part of the Carthaginian Empire following Nebuchadnezzar II 's long siege of Tyre in

1365-836: The 580s and 570s   BC. The city featured in the Third Sicilian War , the Second and Third Punic Wars (in the latter of which it secured additional territory and special privileges by aiding Rome against what was left of the Carthaginians), and Caesar's Civil War , when it was the scene of Caesar's famously deft recovery: upon tripping while coming ashore, he dealt with the poor omen this threatened to become by grabbing handfuls of dirt and proclaiming "I have you now, Africa!" ( Latin : Teneo te Africa! ) The second city in Roman Africa after Carthage, it became

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1430-531: The 9th century, has a similarly fortress-like appearance. Susa was briefly occupied by Norman Sicily in the 12th century; it fell to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th; and it was bombarded by a French and Venetian fleet in the 18th. Medieval Susa was known for its textile industries, producing silk and flax fabrics called Sūsī . Especially renowned were its robes called shuqqas , some of which were mass-produced and sold ready-to-wear throughout

1495-785: The ARS lamp designs imitated the simple design of 3rd- to 4th-century courseware lamps, often with globules on the shoulder or with fluted walls. More ornate designs appeared before the early 5th century as demand spurred on the creative process. The development and widespread distribution of ARS finewares marks the most distinctive phase of Northwest African pottery-making. These characteristic pottery lamps were produced in large quantities by efficiently organized production centers with large-scale manufacturing abilities. They can be attributed to specific pottery-making centers in northern and central Tunisia by way of chemical analysis, allowing archeologists to trace distribution patterns from their source through

1560-578: The Aghlabid sovereign Aboul Abbas I (841–856) in 850–851, almost thirty years after the construction of the Ribat of Sousse. This mosque is the most emblematic of a city that became a few years after the reign of Ziadet-Allah I (817–838), the second city of Ifriqiya and the Sahel. Subsequently, the building is enlarged during the reign of Ibrahim II (875–902). Sousse is represented by Étoile Sportive du Sahel ,

1625-596: The Byzantine city of Melite (modern Mdina on Malta ) was captured by the Aghlabids in 870 , marble from its churches was used to build the Ribat . A soaring structure that combined the purposes of a minaret and a watch tower, it remains in outstanding condition and draws visitors from around the world. Its mosque is sometimes accounted the oldest surviving in the region and the town's main mosque, also built during

1690-750: The Center, including its Ibn El Jazzar, Faculty of Medicine, the Sousse National School of Engineers, and the Higher Institute of Music of Sousse, founded in 1999. There are a number of high schools, such as the pilot high school of Sousse, the boys' high school, the Tahar-Sfar high school (formerly the young girls' high school), the 20 – March 1934 high school (technical high school), the Abdelaziz-El-Bahi high school or

1755-529: The Christians Tertullian and Cyprian of Carthage, and Arnobius of Sicca and his pupil Lactantius; the angelic doctor Augustine of Thagaste, the epigrammatist Luxorius of Vandal Carthage, and perhaps the biographer Suetonius, and the poet Dracontius. The prosperity of most towns depended on agriculture. Called the "granary of the empire", Northwest Africa, according to one estimate, produced one million tons of cereals each year , one-quarter of which

1820-774: The Jawhara high school, and colleges, such as the Pilot College of Sousse, the Mohamed El Aroui College and the Constantine College. Sousse is served by a hospital, the Hospital of Sahloul, the largest in the region. Sousse's most important economic activity takes place in the tertiary sector , which employs over 50% of the city's workforce and includes administration, education, healthcare, trade, communications, and banking. Not far behind

1885-828: The Maghrib , said that "What made the Berbers accept the Roman way of life all the more readily was that the Romans, though a colonizing people who captured their lands by the might of their arms, did not display any racial exclusiveness and were remarkably tolerant of Berber religious cults , be they indigenous or borrowed from the Carthaginians . However, the Roman territory in Africa was unevenly penetrated by Roman culture. Pockets of non-Romanized Berbers continued to exist throughout

1950-490: The Mediterranean. After the decline of Mahdia in the 15th and 16th centuries, Susa remained as the most important town in the Sahel region, with a population of about 15,000. Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881. Around the end of the 19th century, Sousse had a population of 7,000 and was the second-most-important city in Tunisia after Tunis itself. At this point, the entire population of Sousse lived in

2015-468: The Northwest African creations began to rival their Italian and Grecian models and eventually surpassed them in merit and in demand. The innovative use of molds around the 1st century BC allowed for a much greater variety of shapes and decorative style, and the skill of the lamp maker was demonstrated by the quality of the decoration found typically on the flat top of the lamp, or discus, and

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2080-443: The Northwest African provinces to increase artisan production in rapidly developing cities, making them highly organized urban centers. Many Roman cities shared both consumer and producer model city aspects, as artisanal activity was directly related to the economic role cities played in long-distance trade networks. The urban population became increasingly engaged in the craft and service sectors and less in agrarian employment, until

2145-536: The Roman Empire brought an unparalleled degree of urbanization to vast areas of territory, particularly in Northwest Africa. This level of rapid urbanization had a structural impact on the town economy, and artisan production in Roman cities became closely tied to the agrarian spheres of production. As Rome's population grew, so did her demand for Northwest African produce. This flourishing trade allowed

2210-528: The Roman period, even such as in the rural areas of the deeply romanised regions of Tunisia and Numidia." By the end of the Western Roman Empire nearly all of the Maghreb was fully romanised , according to Mommsen in his The Provinces of the Roman Empire . Roman Africans enjoyed a high level of prosperity. This prosperity (and romanisation) touched partially even the populations living outside

2275-584: The Vandals' periodic forced conversions of their subjects to Arianism . The Byzantine Empire reconquered the town in 534 during the Vandal War and engaged in a public works program that included new fortifications and churches. The town was sacked during the Umayyad Caliphate 's 7th-century conquest of North Africa . According to a 1987 ICOMOS report, Uqba ibn Nafi 's siege and capture of

2340-456: The Wadi al-Kharrub) to the north and northwest and the Wadi al-Halluf to the southeast. The subsoil is mostly sedimentary with some deep alluvial deposits, which are more recent closer to the coast. Winters are generally mild, there is an average of 69 days of rainfall per year, and there is a lot of sunshine year-round with relatively few cloudy days. The Municipality of Sousse is the capital of

2405-433: The area during its colonial period. Sousse is an important tourist resort. It has a hot semi-arid climate , with the seaside location moderating the climate, making it an all-season resort with hot, dry summers and warm, mild, wet winters. The fine sandy beaches are backed by orchards and olive groves. Only 20 km (12 mi) from Monastir and Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport , hotel complexes with

2470-496: The capital of the province of Byzacena during the Diocletianic Reforms . Its native sons included the jurist Salvius Julianus , the emperor Clodius Albinus , and numerous Christian saints . The Roman and Byzantine catacombs beneath the city are extensive. The Vandals sacked Hadrumetum in 434 but it remained a place of importance within their kingdom ; a bishop and proconsul were martyred there during

2535-475: The city resulted in its almost complete destruction, such that no monument of Hadrumetum "subsists in situ". Muslim Arab armies rapidly spread Arab culture across what had been a thoroughly Romanized and Christianized landscape. Under the Aghlabids , Susa was established near the ruins of Hadrumetum and served as their main port. Their 827 invasion of Sicily was mainly launched from the town's harbor. After

2600-552: The city. Before the First World War , Sousse had about 25,000 inhabitants, including around 10,000 French and roughly 5,000 other Europeans, mostly Italians and Maltese. The port was the garrison of the 4th Tunisian Rifle Regiment. The first developments outside the medina walls were begun during this period, but they were home to a relatively small number of people until after the Second World War . Sousse

2665-525: The country as a warrior-elite but faced strong resistance from the native Berbers. The Vandals also persecuted Chalcedonian Roman Africans and Berbers, as the Vandals were adherents of Arianism (the semi-trinitarian doctrines of Arius , a priest of Egypt). Towards the end of the 5th century, the Vandal state fell into decline, abandoning most of the interior territories to the Mauri and other Berber tribes of

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2730-472: The early development of fine Ancient Roman pottery , especially African Red Slip terra sigillata tableware and clay oil lamp manufacture, as a crucial industry. Lamps provided the most common form of illumination in Rome. They were used for public and private lighting, as votive offerings in temples, lighting at festivals, and as grave goods. As the craft developed and increased in quality and craftsmanship,

2795-559: The humid zone, the northeast of modern Tunisia (the areas known as the Tell and parts of the Dorsal mountains ). Many areas are described as saltus , land used for non-agricultural exploitation. Timber, pitch (used to line amphorae and waterproof ships), firewood, pine nuts , and charcoal would all have been produced. Grazing was also practiced on forested land. Olive plantations were also widespread, usually on land previously forested, and

2860-653: The imperial capital from Constantinople to Carthage. After 640, the exarchate managed to stave off the Muslim Conquest, but in 698, the Muslim Umayyad army from Egypt sacked Carthage and conquered the Exarchate , ending Roman and Christian rule in Northwest Africa. The Roman military presence of Northwest Africa was relatively small, consisting of about 28,000 troops and auxiliaries in Numidia and

2925-529: The interior. The northwest African provinces, together with the Roman possessions in Spain , were grouped into the Praetorian prefecture of Africa , this time separate from Praetorian prefecture of Italy , and transferred to Exarchate of Africa by Emperor Maurice . The Exarchate prospered, and from it resulted the overthrow of the emperor Phocas by Heraclius in 610. Heraclius briefly considered moving

2990-422: The lamp's function and to popular taste. Ornate patterning of squares and circles were later added to the shoulder with a stylus, as well as palm trees, small fish, animals, and flower patterns. The discus was reserved for conventional scenes of gods, goddesses, mythological subjects, scenes from daily life, erotic scenes, and natural images. The strongly Christian identity of post-Roman society in Northwest Africa

3055-481: The name Africa Proconsularis , as it was governed by a proconsul ) in the north, Africa Byzacena (corresponding to eastern Tunisia ) to its south, and Africa Tripolitania (corresponding to southern Tunisia and northwest Libya ) to the south and southeast of Africa Byzacena , all of which were part of the Dioecesis Africae . Old Africa ( Africa Vetus ), which generally includes the areas mentioned,

3120-486: The name of the manufacturer inscribed on the base, which gives evidence of a highly competitive and thriving local market that developed early and continued to influence and bolster the economy. After a period of artisanal, political, and social decline in the 3rd century AD, lamp-making revived and accelerated. The introduction of fine local red-fired clays in the late 4th century triggered this revival. African Red Slip ware (ARS), or African Terra Sigillata, revolutionized

3185-688: 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 Tunisia , the northeast of Algeria , and the coast of western Libya along the Gulf of Sidra . The territory was originally and still is inhabited by Berbers , known in Latin as the Mauri, indigenous to all of North Africa west of Egypt. In

3250-403: The outer rim, or shoulder. The production process took several stages. The decorative motifs were created using small individual molds, and were then added as appliqué to a plain archetype of the lamp. The embellished lamp was then used to make two plaster half molds, one lower half and one upper half mold, and multiple copies were then able to be mass-produced. Decorative motifs ranged according to

3315-502: The pottery and lamp-making industry. ARS ware was produced from the last third of the 1st century AD onwards, and was of major importance in the mid-to-late Roman periods. Famous in antiquity as "fine" or high-quality tableware, it was distributed both regionally and throughout the Mediterranean basin along well-established and heavily trafficked trade routes. Northwest Africa's economy flourished as its products were dispersed and demand for its products dramatically increased. Initially,

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3380-479: The province continued under the emperor Augustus, with conflicts recorded through to AD 6. By 27 BC, Africa was assigned as one of the senatorial provinces in the Augustan settlements and eventually became known as Africa proconsularis , as it was ruled by a proconsul rather than a legate of the emperor. After Diocletian 's administrative reforms, it was split into Africa Zeugitana (which retained

3445-449: The province were Hadrumetum (modern Sousse , Tunisia), the capital of Byzacena , and Hippo Regius (modern Annaba , Algeria ). Rome's first province in northern Africa was established by the Roman Republic in 146 BC, following its conquest of Carthage by Scipio Aemilianus in the Third Punic War . Utica , which had fought on the side of the Romans in the war, was formed as the administrative capital. The remaining territory

3510-541: The region. In AD 533, Emperor Justinian , using a Vandal dynastic dispute as pretext, sent an army under the general Belisarius to recover Africa. In a short campaign , Belisarius defeated the Vandals, entered Carthage in triumph and re-established Roman rule over the province. The restored Roman administration was successful in fending off the attacks of the Amazigh desert tribes, and by means of an extensive fortification network managed to extend its rule once again to

3575-563: The regions and across the Mediterranean. Some major ARS centers in central Tunisia are Sidi Marzouk Tounsi, Henchir el-Guellal (Djilma), and Henchir es-Srira, all of which have ARS lamp artifacts attributed to them by the microscopic chemical makeup of the clay fabric as well as macroscopic style prevalent in that region. Local pottery markets fueled the economy of not only the towns, but the entire region and supported markets abroad. Certain vessel forms, fabrics, and decorative techniques like rouletting, appliqué, and stamped décor, are specific for

3640-459: The regions around Kairouan and Kasserine. Sousse is the third largest city in Tunisia after Tunis and Sfax . Although it is associated with olive oil manufacture and has other industries, tourism predominates today. An olive grove covering more than 2,500 km (965 sq mi) constitutes one of its main riches since antiquity . The busy port near downtown adds a touch of liveliness to its activity. Sousse also had many oil wells in

3705-591: The romanisation of Africa was firmly rooted. During Caesar's civil war , Caesar created a new African province from territory taken from the Numidians. The original province was called Africa vetus with the newer province suffixed nova . But during the Second Triumvirate , the two provinces were unified, possibly in 35 BC, in consequence of border conflicts: governors of the province won three triumphs between 34 and 28 BC. Further expansion of

3770-422: The two Mauretanian provinces. Starting in the 2nd century AD, these garrisons were manned mostly by local inhabitants. A sizable Latin -speaking population developed that was multinational in background, sharing the northwest African region with those speaking Punic and Berber languages . Imperial security forces began to be drawn from the local population, including the Berbers. Abun-Nasr, in his A History of

3835-534: The various clubs. The season traditionally begins at the start of June and finishes on the first weekend of October with the closing parties. Sousse is well-connected with the main Tunisian Railways network, having non-electrified lines to Tunis (since 1899), Sfax (since 1911), and Kasserine (since 2004) with diesel multiple unit and locomotive -driven trains. The main Gare Sousse terminus

3900-519: The walled medina . The medina was surrounded by agricultural settlements, two of which - Kala Kebira and Msaken - were more densely populated than the city itself. The French Protectorate reinforced Sousse's role as a commercial and administrative center by establishing public buildings, enlarging the city's port, and building railways. Between 1896 and 1911, railways were built connecting Sousse with Tunis, Kairouan, Sfax, Mahdia, Moknin , and Henshir Suwatir . Food industries were also established in

3965-413: Was 48 °C (118 °F) on 28 August 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) on 27 December 1993. Sousse is twinned with: Official : General references and travel guides : Photographs : 35°50′N 10°38′E  /  35.833°N 10.633°E  / 35.833; 10.633 Africa (Roman province) Africa was a Roman province on

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4030-517: Was also known by the Romans (Pliny) as Africa propria , of which Carthage was the capital. The region remained a part of the Roman empire until the Germanic migrations of the 5th century. The Vandals crossed into Northwest Africa from Spain in 429 and overran the area by 439 and founded their own kingdom, including Sicily , Corsica , Sardinia and the Balearics . The Vandals controlled

4095-530: Was devastated by the war and suffered 39 bombardments between December 1942 and May 1943. In 1946, after the war was over, the authorities decided to give a high priority to reconstruction efforts in Sousse. When Tunisia became independent in 1956, Sousse was made a wileya capital and it continued to expand in all directions. Over the course of the 20th century, its growth was explosive: from just 8,577 residents in 1885, it had grown to 134,835 residents in 1994. Its physical area had also increased massively, from

4160-426: Was exported. Additional crops included beans, figs, grapes, and other fruits. By the 2nd century, olive oil rivaled cereals as an export item . In addition to the cultivation of slaves, and the capture and transporting of exotic wild animals, the principal production and exports included the textiles, marble, wine, timber, livestock, pottery such as African Red Slip , and wool. The incorporation of colonial cities into

4225-688: Was left in the domain of the Berber Numidian client king Massinissa . At this time, the Roman policy in Africa was simply to prevent another great power from rising on the Northwest Africa . In 118 BC, the Numidian prince Jugurtha attempted to reunify the smaller kingdoms. However, upon his death, much of Jugurtha's territory was placed in the control of the Berber Mauritanian client king Bocchus ; and, by that time,

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