Sfax

Etymology

It is sometimes with an agricultural produce, a cucurbitaceous , that one allots the origin of the name of Sfax. This last would come indeed from fakous which means “Tunisian Concombre” in . However, Elisee Reclus explains in his Nouvelle universal geography the origin of this false interpretation: One of the vegetables which one cultivates more in the gardens of Sfakès is the cucumber or fakous, word from where one wanted to derive the name from the city: according to Shaw Shaw which went on a journey in the Regency of Tunis in 1732, Sfakès would be the city of the concombres.

History

Sfax, old Syphax Berber and thereafter Taparura Roman, is rebuilt by the Aghlabides at the 9th century starting from materials of the antique Roman city located at approximately three kilometers. They build the ramparts which give to the médina its current configuration. The city must resist the Hilaliens come from Egypt in 1057 and, of 1095 with 1099, it constitutes small a independent emirate.

It passes, like the majority of the coastal towns, under the domination of the Norman prince Roger of Sicily in 1148 before being reinstated in the Moslem sphere by the Almohades of Abd Al-Mumin in 1159.

Sfax knows the revolt of Ali Ben Ghdahem in 1864 being opposed to the Bey de Tunis and that of 1881 to refuse the French protectorate. The French troops are obliged to bombard it to come to end.

It is also bombarded by the Alliés during the Second world war whereas it is occupied by the powers of the Axe in 1942 - 1943. Sfax is the city where illustrate two large militants of national independence assassinated by the colonial terrorist organization the red Hand: the trade unionist Farhat Hached (native of the Archipel of the Kerkennah) which is cut down the December 5th 1952 and the person in charge destourien Hédi Chaker which is killed the September 13rd 1953.

Town planning

Center

The core of the agglomeration is made of a encircled Médina ramparts ( rbat ) and of a modern city, born under the French Protectorat in Tunisia, and including the Town hall and the Gare. The districts of offices are prolonged by a vast active harbor whole since 1897 (port of Commerce, fishing and passengers). In 1984 is undertaken an immense operation of restoration of part of the modern city with the installation of the district of Sfax El Jadida (Sfax news). It is before about a space in Friche of Cimetière S unused.

In addition, the médina became a space where one lives less and less and who specializes in the economic production (one speaks then about “soukalisation”). The inhabitants left it in the search of larger residences. Thus, this space counts nothing any more but 3812 inhabitants in 1998 against 10.668 in 1956. Until the Years 1970, the agglomeration exceeds hardly the town of Sfax with the urban cores of Sakiet Ezzit and Sakiet Eddaïer which is then of small towns made up around agricultural processing and manufacture (trituration of the Olive S and oil mills).

The district of Picville owes him its name with Paul Pic, inhabitant of Sfax since 1868, which planted a Vignoble of a Superficie of 34 Hectare S in 1892 in the zone of the civil control of Sfax. He was in addition president of the mixed Room of trade and agriculture of the south of Tunisia in 1897. This district is located at the west of the médina and extends until a Public garden. At the beginning of its urbanization, one built there small buildings of one or two stages with terraces, often contiguous ones to the others, along the lanes which square the district.

Agglomeration

Sfax is a Agglomération very spread out of 22.000 Hectare S (urban space on a total of 55.000 hectares which takes account of interstitial agricultural spaces) including/understanding 500.000 inhabitants including 55% for the municipality-center and 45% for the municipality of Banlieue. Its organization is radio-concentric with a municipality-center in half-circle on the sea and a distribution of the 6 municipalities of suburbs according to radial axes (13) with north in the south: Sakiet Eddaïer, Sakiet Ezzit, El Ain, Gremda, Chihia and Thyna.

These suburbs thrived along the road axes, easily exceeding a first crown located at 4 kilometers of the center (a tangential road is used as limit with this first crown: the by-pass of kilometer 4) mitant an agricultural space and of approval made up of Orchard S ( jnen ). This urbanization was done with a prevalence of “spontaneous habitat” in front of the insufficiency of the residential installations of the State mainly in Lotissement S intended for the popular classes. The urban strong growth rested on the suburbs which especially developed the residential function, that in fact the zones of “spontaneous habitat” became extensive with the measurement of the public underinvestment or the allotments of the middle-classes and higher than the south (Gremda, Chihia and Thyna). The decision of the delimitation of a perimeter of land intervention of the State it there has a few years on the commune of Sakiet Ezzit, a first, testifies to the shift between the land request of the population and the late if not insufficient official answer. It results from it a great spreading out which increases the problem of displacements in an agglomeration where the public means of transport are limited (only one railway line of suburbs between Sakiet Ezzit and Sfax) and the large distances between the peripheral places of residence and central employment (40% of employment for 4,4% of the residences).

Economy

First port commercial of Tunisia in traffic (2000) and second in value
Agriculture: It is the agriculture which constitutes the main resource of the area. With 6 million feet of olive-tree S and nearly 5 million Almond tree S, the Gouvernorat of Sfax is placed at the first rank of and the producing olive oil areas (38,5% with more than 200.000 tons) Amande S.
Élevage: The breeding represents a sector quite as important of the regional economy. With 340.000 ovine, 50.000 caprine and nearly 30.000 bovine, the area occupies a choice place in this field. A Milk industry gets a foothold in the wake of this intensive breeding and one adds up 75.000 tons of Lait per annum.
Fishing: Fishing occupies also a choice place in the regional economy with a fleet of approximately 300 Chalutier S Crevettier S, 50 Thonier S Senneur S, 1500 small motorboats and 2000 boats with veil. Sfax produces approximately 25.000 tons of fish per annum is one the third of the national production. A good part of this fishing is exported abroad (10 approximately 000 tons) that is to say 70% of the Tunisian export of the products of the sea.
Industry: Industry is in full blooming with Sfax where the statistics advance the figure of 4000 companies.
Tourism: In the tourist plan, one counts 21 Hôtel S of various standings in Sfax, 7 in Kerkennah and 2 with Mahrès.

Education

Sport

The town of Sfax is regarded as one of the sporting poles most important of the country with approximately 40 sporting clubs. It counts some 7200 sportsmen practitioners thus. The practiced specialities are the Football, the Volley-ball, the Handball, the Basket-ball, the Judo, the Tennis, the Rugby, the Athlétisme, the Boxe, the Haltérophilie, the Pétanque and the Natation.

The sporting Club sfaxien (CSS) is one of the most prestigious sporting teams of Tunisia. In 2006, it reaches the final of the Ligue of the Champions of Africa against Al Ahly (Egypt). Other sporting clubs existed before the CSS as the team of the railroads of Sfax (Sfax railways sports), which gains its first title of Championnat of Tunisia of football in 1934, or the sporting Stage sfaxien (team of factory SIAPE).

In 2004, the town of Sfax accommodates football games of the Coupe of Africa of the nations, which is organized by Tunisia, like the match of quarterfinal Algérie - Morocco. In January 2005, Sfax accommodates some matches of the first tower of the World cup of handball in particular the shock of the first turn between the Spain and the Croatia.

Personalities

Twinnings

Public equipment

Stage Taïeb Mehiri, stage present of Sfax built in 1938
Stage of March 2nd
Stage Siccaldi
International airport (with 7 kilometers of the downtown area)
commercial Port and fishing port

the port of Sfax has 2 characteristics: it is one of the rare places of the Mediterranean where the amplitude of the Marée S exceeds 1,50 m and 2 m with the equinox S and, sheltered winds broad by the islands Kerkennah and the high funds of the Golfe of Gabès mitigating the effects of the Vague S, no thrown or Digue is there necessary.
In spite of the important maritime trade with the island S Kerkennah and the remainder of the country, the port is tiny room until in 1886 with a simple wharf of Bois 50 meters length. An artificial harbor is dug in the Sable S and is opened with the traffic in 1891. But the exploitation of phosphates makes quickly it insufficient and a new port is dug. As in Tunis, the products of the Dragage are used to gain ground on the sea.
Like all the large Tunisian ports, Sfax suffers during the Campagne from Tunisia: the Afrika Korps makes jump part of the quays before being folded up (April 11th 1943).

Hall sports November 7th
municipal Amphitheater Sidi Mansour
Arts center Mohamed-Jamoussi

References

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