The City of Sfax

The city of Sfax is Tunisia’s second-largest city and economic hub. This port city lies in eastern Tunisia, roughly 270 kilometers from Tunis. Its industries and port play a leading economic role. The city exports olive oil and fresh or frozen fish. Sfax is a business city with some tourist sites, such as the medina and Thyna. However, phosphate processing plants also operate in the area.

Greater Sfax has approximately 600,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration covers over 220 km², making it as large as Tunis (which has nearly five times more people). The city is flat and structured by cobweb communication axes. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the east and the beginning of the Gulf of Gabès.

The City of Sfax : History and Heritage

Sfax, like most Tunisian cities, has Berber origins. The city was formerly called Syphax (fortified place) and later became the Roman city of Taparura. In the 9th century, the Aghlabids built the ramparts that gave the medina its majestic configuration. These ramparts still exist today. They have two well-preserved gates: Bab Diwan (west side) and Bab Jebli (east side). The Norman Prince Roger of Sicily took control of the city in 1148. However, the Almohads reintegrated it into the Muslim Empire in 1159.

The city experienced the revolt of Ali ben Ghdahem in 1864, opposing the Bey. It also resisted the French protectorate in 1881. Sfax is also the homeland of two great Tunisian militants. The colonial terrorist organization “La Main Rouge” assassinated them. Farhat Hached (native of Kerkennah), a great trade unionist and patriot leader, died on December 5, 1952. Hédi Chaker, a Destourian leader native of Sfax, died on September 13, 1953. Ultimately, the city of Sfax offers a journey through Tunisia’s economic and historical heritage.