Ben Gardane or Bengardane ( or , '; ) is a coastal town in south eastern

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

, close to the border with

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. It is located at around .

History

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Ben Gardane Airfield Ben Gardane Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, near Bin Qirdan (Madanin), about 420 km south-southeast of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, used by the ...

was used by the 57th Fighter Group, which flew P-40 Warhawks from the airfield from 9 to 21 March 1943 during the Eighth Army advance into Tunisia from Libya, to which the 57th was attached. It was also used by

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

from the 601 Squadron RAF. The town belongs to the governorate of Medenine. Located 423 km - 559 km by road - from Tunis, it is the city furthest from the capital. It is the last major city in the governorate of Medenine with total population estimated at 66,567 inhabitants in 2014. It is located 32 kilometers from the Tunisian-Libyan border. It is best known both in Tunisia and Libya as a trade road and an open exchange market. Tunisians take advantage of the availability and variety of the goods existing in the shops. The great amount of these goods are basically imported from Libya and deemed less expensive. It is distinguished for its large population of

dromedaries The dromedary (''Camelus dromedarius''), also known as the dromedary camel, Arabian camel and one-humped camel, is a large camel of the genus ''Camelus'' with one hump on its back. It is the tallest of the three camel species; adult males stan ...

estimated at 15,000 head. An annual festival devoted to them during the month of June. In March 2016, the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious populati ...

attacked the town in the Battle of Ben Guerdane.

Islamic militancy

According to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', "hundreds of young men have left Ben Guerdane over the past three decades to wage

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, radicalized in part by a repressive regime that persecuted Islamists". The leader of

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

famously said of Ben Gardane, "if it was located next to

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

, we would have liberated

Population and tribal diversity

There is a mixture of

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

and

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, who from the ''Twazin'' tribal alliance which took place centuries ago as a tribal defense shield against the invasion, especially from the east towards

. There is no historical record as to the date of the establishment of this alliance but the inhabitants of Bengardane still have this bond and are said to be proud of the alliance. Beside the ''Twazin'', there are other large tribes such as Jelidat, Rabai'a which have participated in shaping the heritage, culture and way of life in Bengardane .

Economy

Economic activity of Ben Gardane is mainly based on commerce, fishing and agriculture; in industry, the food sector dominates with 61 of 95 firms.

People from Ben Gardane

Ahmed Eyadh Ouederni Ahmed Eyadh Ouederni is a Tunisian people, Tunisian politician. He was the Minister-Director of the Presidential Cabinet under former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.Jacqueline K. Mueckenheim, ''Countries of the World and Their Leaders Yearbook 2 ...

* Riadh Bettaieb * Afef Jnifen

Gallery

Blason municipalite de la ville de Ben Gerdane.png SoukElZokraBenGardane.jpg AvenueBenGardane2011.jpg

References

Populated coastal places in Tunisia Populated places in Medenine Governorate Communes of Tunisia {{Tunisia-geo-stub