Nabeul (city)

The city of Nabul forms a municipality of the same name with a population of 73,128 inhabitants (according to the 2014 census). Together with the neighboring settlements of Dar Shaaban, Khiar and Al-Maamor, it forms an agglomeration with a population of 120,000 inhabitants.

12 kilometers southwest of Nabul is the resort town of Hammamet . With it, Nabul forms a bipolar agglomeration of 185,000 people and a common tourist zone.

The city is located in the south of the Bon Peninsula, famous for its gardens. Here grapes, citrus fruits, and melons are grown.

In Nabul, as well as throughout the Bon Peninsula, a temperate climate prevails. In January, the temperature drops no lower than 8.4 ° C, the average 15.8 ° C. In August, the temperature is not lower than 22.6 ° C, average 30.6 ° C. Thermal amplitude directly depends on the influence of the sea.

Ancient Ages

In ancient times, the city bore the Greek name Neapolis (Neapolis), which translates as Nea (new) and polis (city). The foundation of the city dates back to at least 2400 BC, although the Greek historian Thucydides mentions the fifth century BC. At that time, the name of this North African city was mentioned more than once in the texts along with Carthage .

During the Peloponnesian war in 413 BC, a Greek ship, sailing with soldiers from Sparta to Athens, ran aground on the coast of Cyrenaica . Citizens of Cyrene decided to help them and provided their boats and guides. The Greeks then stopped in a city called Neapolis, where the first record of the city was made. It is possible that Neapolis (Naples) is just a Greek translation from the ancient name Nabeul or Nabul.

From 148 BC e. and BC, Neapolis remains faithful to Carthage . Together with Carthage, the city was taken and destroyed by the Roman commander Calpurnius . With the beginning of the Roman occupation, the city was devastated and abandoned, and finally destroyed by the Byzantines during the Arab conquests.

Middle Ages

The Muslim army under the command of Abu al-Moher, having come from the Arabian Peninsula in 674 , conquered the Bon Peninsula. Muslims built the “old” city ( medina ) in Nabul and in the 9th century the Great Mosque.

In 1148, the troops of the Sicilian King Roger II captured the medina in Nabul and made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the military fort of Hammamet, after which they fled from the peninsula.

In the XVIII and XIX centuries, the city acquires its final structure, located in its main medina. Bazaars become the soul of the city, a meeting place and trade. They develop and play an important role in the economy.

At that time, many markets were first opened, such as Al-Haddaba (the blacksmith's market), Suk al-Balkh, Suk al-Ihoud (Jewish) and Ezit (food). The medina became accessible through several gates: Bab Bled - the main entrance to the city, Bab el-Bab, El Hawka and Zauya.

Due to its fertility and temperate climate, the city began to attract migrants from Djerba and Kairouan , as well as refugees from Andalusia expelled by the Spaniards, to agricultural and commercial activities. It was at this time that agriculture began to experience a real boom.

In the same era, a large number of Jews began to gather in the region, which by the end of the 19th century amounted to 10% of the total population of the French protectorate. The result of all this was the construction of a Jewish synagogue in the Great Mosque.

New and Recent History

The French protectorate, established in Tunisia in 1881, gives Nabul the status of the center of the side province. The administrative status and strengthened civilian control in 1885 contributed to improving the living conditions of citizens, providing their homes with drinking water and electricity, and building roads. However, projects for the global development of transport, including the construction of a railway line connecting the city with the capital of Tunisia , began to be implemented only at the end of the 19th century .

These projects were crucial for the further development of the city and the region. Their expediency was explained by the creation of an important seaside resort here; a large number of tourists and travelers from Europe were expected to arrive.

In the 1930s , a nationalist movement began to develop rapidly in Tunisia. With the support of local intellectuals, the Muslims organized the Neo-Destour party in 1936, proclaiming for themselves the slogan of the struggle for the independence of the Arab people from the power of the French protectorate and the Roman Greek church. In the first place, Jews and their shrines began to be persecuted. Of the 2,058 Jews living in Nabul in 1946, by 1950 only 10% remained.

On January 19, 1952, large rallies were held in the city as part of the uprising in Tunisia.

With the independence of Tunisia on March 20, 1956 , the introduction of the power of the traditional Koran and the abolition of bilingualism, the status of Nabeul as a tourist center faded for a while, and various industries began to develop in exchange and this affected the growth of the population of the city. The growth of the population and industry affected the development of the sphere of education, schools, colleges, sports centers, a polytechnic, a faculty of economics and the Higher Institute of Art appeared in the city.

Tourism Industry

Currently, the economy of the city and the region is again based on tourism.

The tourist area of ​​Nabul - Hammamet with its sandy beaches and Mediterranean climate has long been a popular destination for European tourists. The oldest hotel in Nabul was built in 1956 , then it was called "Neapolis" (now "Aquarius"). Currently, both resorts are connected by the hotel complexes Hammamet-Merazka and Hammamet-Nord. The tourist area of ​​Nabul — Hammamet has the largest hotel fund in Tunisia - about 45,000 beds. From here, the country receives more than a quarter of all tourism revenue.

The sights of the city include the ruins of old Neapolis, located two kilometers from the city center, as well as the archaeological museum, which houses collections of ceramics, Punic statues of the 7th century BC, as well as a collection of Roman mosaics collected throughout the Bon Peninsula .

Numerous tourists are also attracted by the old city - the medina , with its old gates, as well as the great mosque of the 9th century. The weekly market in Nabul medina, working on Friday morning, is famous even abroad for a variety of agricultural products and the products of craftsmen.

Craft Capital

Nabul is known in Tunisia and abroad for the high artistic quality of its ceramics, especially painted plates and a wide variety of antique dishes. The production technology was revived during the first half of the 20th century by the efforts of French art historians and added to the number of traditional utilitarian folk crafts ^[3] .

The craftsmanship of local artisans, like the profession, is passed on from father to son. Several famous museums use the products and services of Nabul masters, including world-famous restorers.

Famous Nabul rugs are made using a special ring, which has several colors from yellow-green to violet-blue. The first, untreated set of strands in the ring is launched into weaving, crossing the ring with alpha twine. Work requires the use of cross cords and periodic replacement of hemp in the twine. The Kus Kus basket for the Muslim New Year is produced in the same way. All work is carried out in the courtyards of houses or in craft workshops.

Bazaars are a traditional place to trade products of local craftsmen, as well as products from other parts of the country: copper, leather, clothing, embroidery and baskets.

Nabul is the only city in Tunisia where elegant pastry figures are made for every Muslim New Year . Favorite for children and women, they are also used in the preparation of traditional dishes. They are prepared in molds, then decorated and stained with natural dyes.

Agriculture

Fruit trees grow abundantly in the vicinity of Nabul, mainly olive and citrus fruits: oranges, lemons and sour oranges Beldis.

A special place in Nabul is occupied by the craft of distillation of flowers, mainly flowers of bitter orange, bourbon and geranium. Most perfumes are sold in local markets, the rest is exported . The distillation tradition is not traditional for Nabul, but it is better preserved than in other cities.

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  Grand Mosque on El Fell Street

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  Administration building in Nabul

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  Residence Name Hotel on Bourguiba Avenue

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  ATL Leasing Building on Bourguib Avenue

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  Palm Alley on January 18

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  Beach in the area of ​​Riyad Hotel

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  Bourguiba Avenue near the coast

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  Tunisian Security Building in Nabul

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  Bourguiba Avenue View

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  The building of the City Center

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  Avenue Ali Belhuang

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  Rail buses at the railway station