Sbiba () is a city surrounded by chains of mountains in the province of

Kasserine Kasserine (, Tunisian Arabic: ڨصرين ') is the capital city of the Kasserine Governorate, in west-central Tunisia. It is situated below Jebel ech Chambi ( جبل الشعانبي), Tunisia's highest mountain. Its population is 114,463 (2020). ...

. Sbiba is in the Midwest of Tunisia on the latitude of 35° and 36°, about 70 km far from

, bounded on the north with Jedelienne,

Sbeitla Sbeitla ( ') is a small town in west-central Tunisia. Nearby are the Roman Empire, Roman Archaeological site of Sbeitla, ruins of Sufetula, containing the best preserved Roman forum temples in the country. It was the entry point of the Muslim conqu ...

to the South. Sbiba was founded by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

. German forces defeated United States forces in the vicinity of Sbiba in an early part of the

Tunisian campaign The Tunisian campaign (also known as the battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. Th ...

in World War II.

History

In the book Al Istibsar fi 'agaib al-Amsar, written in the late 12th century, the author wrote:كتاب الاستبصار في عجائب الأمصار، لكاتب مراكشي من كتاب القرن السادس الهجري، ص161، نشر وتعليق: سعد زغلول عبد الحميد. الدار البيضاء، دار النشر المغربية 1985

"An ancient and timeless city, with flowing rivers and running waters that drive the mills. It was once a place of great significance, abundant in cultivated lands and thriving villages. .No land in
Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...
was more fertile than this, nor more abundant in orchards, fruits, and flowing springs. The city has a great and magnificent spring, built in ancient times by the early peoples."

Geography

The city is located at the site of the ancient city of Sufes at the altitude of 630m. By the city is located the Mount Jbel Mghuila which is the highest peak in the region with 1370m.

Economy

The city is famous for its apples, tomatoes and fresh water. Sbiba produces nearly 40% of the Tunisian total production of apples and tomatoes due to its very advanced system of irrigation. Despite its population of around 55,000, Sbiba suffers from a lack of national and international investments in the fields of industry, agriculture and especially services.

External links

Official website
(In English, French, and Arabic)

References

Populated places in Kasserine Governorate Communes of Tunisia {{Tunisia-geo-stub