Tabarca (Tunisia)
| Tabarka Tabarca |
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| Coordinates | 36 ° 57 ′ N , 8 ° 45 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Tunisia | ||
| Jendouba | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | TN-32 | ||
| Residents | 15,634 | ||
| politics | |||
| mayor | Mokhtar Soudani | ||
 Downtown Tabarca
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Tabarka ( Arabic طبرقة, DMG Ṭabarqa , Phoenician : Tabarka , Thabarka or colloquially Barga , Greek Θάθρακα Thabraka , Latin Thabraca ) is a small town in the Jendouba governorate on the Mediterranean coast of Tunisia . Tabarca also refers to two islands in the Mediterranean, both of which were originally settled by colonists of Ligurian origin. One is off the Tunisian coast, the other, also called Nueva Tabarca , is off the Spanish coast.
Tabarca with its 15,000 inhabitants is located on the Tunisian Mediterranean coast, approx. 15 km east of the border with Algeria and 170 km from the capital Tunis . Tabarca is a fishing village that has always been used for coral fishing. Even today there are now protected coral banks on site. In the mountainous inland there are forests that are known for their cork oaks. Tabarca is developed for tourism and has its own airport, a marina and a golf course. There is an annual jazz festival in July and there is also an underwater photography festival. The Tabarka Airport is located ten kilometers northeast of the city.
History of the place
Tabarca was founded by the Phoenicians in the fifth century BC and later became Roman. Tabarca was a Numidian city in the Province of Zeugitana . At that time it was known for its port with exports of Numidian marble from Simitthu . Under the vandal king Geiserich the city had a Christian monastery. A basilica from the 19th century stands on Roman foundations. Early Christian mosaics, Roman coins and other things can be seen in a small museum. The ruins of two fortresses date from the Turkish period. Habib Bourguiba , who later became President of Tunisia , was exiled to Tabarca by the French colonial power in 1952.
History of the island
In 1540 the Lomellini family in Pegli, who had rich property, acquired a concession from Emperor Charles V for the island of Tabarca off the Tunisian coast, for which they were allowed to appoint an administrator. The island is only a quarter of a square kilometer and was 400 m off the Tunisian coast. The concession was probably related to the ransom of the notorious pirate Turgut Reis for 3500 ducats from the Genoese Doria family by Khair ad-Din Barbarossa
Countless residents have emigrated from Pegli , a Ligurian town west of Genoa . They founded colonies in Corsica, Sicily, Sardinia, Alexandria (Egypt) in Provence and in Catalonia. Where they had no colony on the Mediterranean, they at least traded. In Pegli the nobles of the Lomellini were in fierce competition with the Doria family, with whom they practically shared the place. "Lascia che se dagghe a Dòia co-a Lomellin-na" was a way of saying that it was better not to get involved in the quarrels of these two leading families. In order to colonize Tabarca, residents of Pegli, fishermen with the typical Genoese inclination, were invited to adventure and trade. 300 families, approx. 1000 people, moved to Tabarca in 1542. There the Lomellini had already built a fortress on the summit. The colonists had to sell the corals for 4.50 lire a pound to the Lomellini, who in turn sold them on for 9.10 lire. However, there were problems with the neighboring Saracens under the Bey of Tunisia and Algeria (smuggling, piracy and slave hunting). Likewise with the French who tried to occupy the island or incited the Saracens against the unpleasant competition.
In 1633 the Corsican Gudicelli tried in vain to conquer the island. Due to the hostile activities, the advanced exploitation of the coral reefs and the heavy overpopulation, Tabarca lost its attractiveness. There is even said to have been a marriage ban under threat of banishment. In 1736, under Charles Emanuel III, Tabarcer became interested in the previously uninhabited island of San Pietro southwest of Sardinia. A plan was made to bring 1000 colonists from Tabarca to the new island with the promise to trade the corals on the previous terms. In the following year the city of Carloforte was founded on San Pietro , the name of which referred to the ruling king. 118 families now inhabited the island. In addition to coral fishing, tuna was hunted, salt was produced, farmed and the Carloforters were soon famous for their shipbuilding skills. While many people moved to the thriving Carloforte colony, Tabarca lost most of its inhabitants. The Lomellini tried in vain to sell the island. In 1741 the Bey of Tunisia took the island with eight galleys and dragged its 900 remaining inhabitants into slavery. Charles Emanuel III. paid a ransom of 50,000 zechines, but it was well into the 1750s for all slaves to be released. In 1793 the French occupied the island in order to build a naval base on it. The Spaniards intervened and captured 625 French. In 1798 the Bey of Tunisia attacked the island again and took 800 prisoners, 1000 other residents were able to flee. After several ransom payments, the slaves were freed again in 1803. From then on the island was at peace.
Today the island is connected to the mainland by a dam built under the Turks. The walls of the fortress still stand today. Another colony was founded off the safer coast of Alicante under the name "Nueva Tabarca ". However, in contrast to Carloforte, its residents lost their close relationship with Pegli and adopted the Spanish language.
tourism
Tabarka was and is a weekend getaway destination for Tunisian and Algerian middle-class families, mostly from the respective capital cities. In the 1990s, together with the construction of the airport between the city and the airport, the golf course was laid out and a spacious hotel zone was developed. With a view of the densely forested low mountain range in the hinterland, which is unusual for North Africa, the golf course and a coral-rich diving area , not only beach holidaymakers but, given the year-round mild climate, also hikers, nature lovers and active holidaymakers are addressed.
However, the target was not accepted in Europe as hoped, and expansion and growth came to a standstill as early as the early 2000s. Robinson gave up his facility at the end of 2004 (was taken over by MagicLife, today - 2011/12 - it is an Italian club Valtur) and the direct flights from Germany were discontinued. Since then, Tabarka has only been served directly from the French-speaking region, and only in the summer season. The airport was closed in winter 2011/12. Tabarka can be reached all year round via Tunis.
The most recent attempt to revive Tabarka as a holiday destination was taken over by a group of investors from Qatar in 2013 and subjected to an extensive renovation of the former Hotel Tabarka Beach. As La Cigale Hotel, it opened at the end of 2014 as one of the most luxurious hotels in Tunisia.
literature
- Thabraca . In: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London 1854 ( online ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ German-language golf information page of the Tunisian Tourist Office ( Memento of the original from March 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , last read on January 22, 2012
