Nabeul (; ar, نابل ,

Tamazight The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber communi ...

: ⵏⴰⴱⴻⵍ), is a coastal town located in northeastern

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

, on the south coast of the Cape Bon peninsula and surrounded by the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

on both sides. It is the first seaside resort in Tunisia. It is known for its agricultural riches and its touristic potentials. The city had a population of 73,128 as of the 2014 census.

History

Nabeul was founded in the fifth century BC by the

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

of Cyrene, serving as a trade port. Its present name is an arabization of its

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

name Neápolis (, "New City"), which was a common name of

Greek colonies Greek colonization was an organised colonial expansion by the Archaic Greeks into the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea in the period of the 8th–6th centuries BC. This colonization differed from the migrations of the Greek Dark Ages in that i ...

. In Roman times, the city was an important trade hub for grain from North Africa to Rome, and a centre for manufacture of

garum Garum is a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment in the cuisines of Phoenicia, ancient Greece, Rome, Carthage and later Byzantium. Liquamen is a similar preparation, and at times they were synonymous. Although garum enjoyed its gre ...

for Rome.

On 21 July 365, a massive tsunami hit the city from the

365 Crete earthquake The 365 Crete earthquake occurred at about sunrise on 21 July 365 in the Eastern Mediterranean, with an assumed epicentre near Crete. Geologists today estimate the undersea earthquake to have been a moment magnitude 8.5 or higher. It caused wid ...

, resulting in much destruction and leaving part of it underwater. During antiquity, Neapolis was also the seat of an ancient Christian

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

The

Bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

was founded during the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

and survived through the arian

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

and Orthodox

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

empires, only ceasing to function with the

Muslim conquest of the Maghreb The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...

. The

diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

was refounded in name at least in the twentieth century as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

of the

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Due to its location by the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coast, it remains today a popular tourist destination and is the main centre of the Tunisian

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

industry.

Climate

Nabeul, as well as the whole region of Cape Bon is known for its moderate climate. In January, the temperature reaches 8.4 °C on the minimum average, with the maximum average attaining 15.8 °C. In August, the minimum temperature is 22.6 °C while the maximum is 30.6 °C.

Economy

Nabeul's modern economy is based primarily on tourism. The most famous hotels are mainly located at the seaside. The most known tourist resorts in Nabeul include the Roman archaeological site of Neapolis (positioned 2 kilometres away from downtown), the archaeological museum which offers ceramic and Punic statues dating back to the seventh century BC and an important collection of Roman mosaics proceeded from sites of the region. Souk El Balgha is considered one of the most ancient and special souks in the region of Nabeul. It was dedicated to fabricating and selling the "balgha" heelless slippers made from leather. Souk Haddada is devoted for sheet metal workers. Souk Ezzit is where the traders sold the oil. The weekly Souk that takes place every Friday attracts many tourists and locals. The Medina of Nabeul can be accessed through many doors: Beb Blad, the main entry, Beb el Zaouia and Beb el Khoukha.

Handicraft

Nabeul also is known in Tunisia and abroad for its handicraft that consists of artistic potteries, especially painted dishes as well as for wall tiles. This craftwork was restarted during the first half of the twentieth century through the research of the French Tessier, Deverclos and the Tunisian Jacob Chemla.

Agriculture

Nabeul's agriculture relies on

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

s, and the

bitter orange Bitter orange, Seville orange, bigarade orange, or marmalade orange is the citrus tree ''Citrus'' × ''aurantium'' and its fruit. It is native to Southeast Asia and has been spread by humans to many parts of the world. It is probably a cross be ...

also known in French as Bigardier. People of Nabeul also distill flowers of bitter orange, Bourbon geranium, and

Damask rose Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

. They sell it mainly in the local souks and export the rest to the world.

Gastronomy

Nabeul has been famous for its

Harissa Harissa ( ar, هريسة ''harīsa'', from Maghrebi Arabic) is a hot chili pepper paste, native to the Maghreb. The main ingredients are roasted red peppers, Baklouti peppers (), spices and herbs such as garlic paste, caraway seeds, coriander ...

since the Andalusians arrived in Tunisia in the sixteenth century. They brought pepper and stored loads of it throughout the year. This activity called "El Oula" consists of preserving food ingredients all along the season and making it last longer in order to be consumed on a day-to-day basis. Many women in Nabeul are still committed to storing "El Oula" every year.

Twin towns A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

Marbella Marbella ( , , ) is a city and municipality in southern Spain, belonging to the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is part of the Costa del Sol and is the headquarters of the Association of Municipalities of the reg ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Seto, Aichi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 127,659 in 56,573 households, and a population density of 1,146 persons per km². The total area was . Geography Seto is located in the hilly northern region of Aic ...

, Japan

Gallery

Nabeul - panoramio.jpg Nabeul Stadspoort R01.jpg Preparatory Institute of Nabeul, 2015.JPG Здание Сити-центра в Набуле.JPG Апельсиновая чаша в центре Набуля.JPG Rue de la ville de Nabeul, fevrier 2019.jpg

References

Notes

{{Authority control Populated coastal places in Tunisia Populated places in Tunisia Communes of Tunisia Catholic titular sees in Africa