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| The Kasbah Mosque, Tunis, built by the Hafsid dynasty, courtesy, Wikipedia |
According to
some scholars, the name “Tunis” originated in the 9th century BCE
when the Phoenicians of Carthage named it “Tanith” after their local goddess.
According to other scholars, it came from the ancient Greek name “Tynes” which
was mentioned by the Greek historians Diodorus Siculus and Polybius. They were most likely referring to the present
day neighborhood in Tunis known today as “Al-Kasbah”,
or the old Berber village.
Tunis was one of the first towns in the region that fell under Carthaginian control, and in the centuries that followed, it was mentioned in the military histories associated with Carthage. Thus, in 310 BCE, during Agathocles' expedition, which landed at Cape Bon about 30 miles to the east, Tunis changed hands several times. During the Mercenary War, it served as a center for the native population of the area which was made up mainly of peasants, fishermen, and craftsmen. According to Strabo, it and Carthage were both destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE during the Third Punic War. Tunis, however, was rebuilt first, under the rule of Augustus. It became an important town of the Roman Province of Africa, and the center of a booming agricultural industry. The city was called “Thuni” in the Tabula Peutingeriana, an ancient itinerary which described the system of Roman roads in Africa. Tunis, which was situated on a hill, and had acquired the Roman designation of mutatio, way station or resting place, served as an excellent point from which the comings and goings of naval and caravan traffic to and from Carthage could be observed. The city was often used as the last resting station for Berber caravans before continuing on to Carthage. In the 4th century, Tunis, increasingly Romanized, was also eventually Christianized and became a bishopric. However, the city remained modestly sized compared to Carthage during this time. When Arab Muslim troops conquered the region at the end of the 7th century, they began to colonize Tunis and make the city in its own image as well as the rest of the region, the name of which, was Arabized to from “Africa” to “Ifriqiya”. In the 10th century, Tunis came under the rule of the Arab Fatimid dynasty, Shi’a Muslims, who appointed Berber governors of the Zirid dynasty, fellow Shi’a, to administer the western provinces. Since the early 11th century, this also included Tunis which gained in cultural and economic importance, but the population, which was mostly Sunni, could not tolerate Shi’a rule and began carrying out massacres against the community. In 1048 the Zirid ruler Al-Muizz ibn Badis rejected his city's obedience to the Fatimids and re-established Sunni rites throughout all of Ifriqiya. This decision infuriated the caliph Al-Mustansir Billah and he unleashed the Banu Hilal Arab tribe on the region, a large part of which, was set to the torch. The major cities of the region were razed and only a few coastal towns, including Tunis and Mahdia, escaped destruction. But exposed to violence from the hostile tribes that settled around the city, the population of Tunis repudiated the authority of the Zirids in 1059 and instead, gave their allegiance to the pro-Fatimid Berber prince El Nacer ibn Alennas of the Hammadid dynastic branch of the Zirid dynasty, who was based in Béjaïa. El Nacer, in turn, appointed a governor over Tunis from the Berber Khurasanid dynasty of Sunni Muslims and this dynasty soon made Tunis independent of Hammadid rule and capital of a small new kingdom which revived trade and commerce with other nations and brought the region back to peace and prosperity. A century later, the Almohad Berber 'Abd al-Mu'min took Tunis, established his authority, and overthrew the last Khurasanid leader. Under Almohad rule, Tunis remained dominant over the region and very soon, it was promoted to the rank of provincial capital. In 1228, a Berber Sunni Muslim Governor Abu Zakariya seized power. A year later, he took the title of Emir and founded an emirate under the Hafsid dynasty with Tunis remaining capital city. Walls were built to protect the medina, the kasbah, and the new suburbs. In 1270 the city was briefly taken by King Louis IX of France, who was hoping to convert the Hafsid sovereign to Christianity. The king easily captured Carthage, but his army soon fell victim to an outbreak of dysentery and he himself died before the Tunis’ walls forcing his army to retreat. At the same time, driven by the Christian reconquest of Spain, the first Andalusian Muslims and Jews arrived in Tunis. They would become important to the economic prosperity of the city and the development of its intellectual life. Tunis became one of the richest and grandest cities in the Islamic world, with a population of about 100,000. In the 14th century, during the reign of the Sultan Abu Yahya, one of the most famous travelers to visit the city was the Berber Ibn Battuta. At the time of his visit, began Eid al Fitr, the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast which occurs after the fast during the entire month of Ramadan. Under Utman (1435–1488) the Hafsids reached their zenith, but declined shortly thereafter. The surrounding Bedouins and the cities of the empire became largely independent, leaving the Hafsids in control of only Tunis and Constantine. By 1535, the city was conquered and occupied by the Ottoman Turks. Tunis came under a Turkish administration which, over time, came to identify with the Arab colonists thus giving local Berbers second class status. At the same time, a slow process of Arabization had begun which intensified when the country of Tunisia gained independence in 1956 – as an Arab country. With the overthrow of the Arab occupying regime at the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, in favor of another Arab occupying regime, the situation of the indigenous people of Tunis was alleviated a little bit, but only a little bit. A brief Amazigh revival took place in the city especially since the arrival of many thousands of the younger generation of Berbers, boosting the indigenous population immensely. The Tunisian Association of the Amazigh Culture, headquartered in Tunis and headed by Berber activist Ghaki Jalloul, was founded in order to perpetuate and revitalize Amazigh culture, identity, and especially language. But due to the high cost of rent, their offices were closed and meetings would take place in various locations in the city. The Amazigh Association still exists today as do a number of other pro-Amazigh organizations throughout Tunisia but classes teaching the Berber language are still lacking as is official recognition of the Berber community. Still, several institutions were established by and for the indigenous population. This was in addition to the many mosques built by the Amazigh centuries ago. They include: the El Fell and El Koubba Mosques (built by the Zirids), the El Hantati and Kasbah Mosques (built in the Hafsid period). Other institutions include: Club Amazigh soccer field, Jardin Amazigh beauty product suppliers, Restaurant Amazigh Beach at Ghar al Milh about 10 to the north, the indigenous town and historical landmark of Abziri about 2 miles to the south, and the Berber Carpet Store.
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