Sfax
Encyclopedia
Sfax is a city in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

, located 270 km (167.8 mi) southeast of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate
Sfax Governorate
The Sfax Governorate is one of the governorates of Tunisia. The governorate has a population of 860,000 and an area of 7,545 km². Its capital is Sfax.The following cities and towns are located in the Sfax Governorate:* Agareb...

 (about 860,000 inhabitants in 2005) , and a Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

 port. Sfax has population of 340,000 (2005 estimate). The economic activities of Sfax are industries (industrial center for processing phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

s), agriculture (Olive and Olive Oil transformation, nuts), fishing (first fishing port in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 and trade (import-export activities). The city is often described as Tunisia's "second city", Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

 being the capital and having more inhabitants. Sfax was considered as the economic capital of Tunisia during the 1980's but no longer.

History

By the end of the 10th century Sfax had become an independent city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...

. The city was conquered by Roger II of Sicily
Roger II of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...

 in 1148 and occupied until it was liberated in 1156 by local forces, and was briefly occupied by European forces again, this time by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, in the 16th century. Sfax became an integral base of the Barbary piracy, prompting an unsuccessful invasion by Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 in 1785. In the late 19th century Sfax and the rest of Tunisia were conquered by France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and incorporated into the French empire. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Axis powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...

 used the city as a major base until they were defeated by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 forces. After World War II, Tunisia was returned to France, but gained its independence in 1956.

Transport

Sfax is served by a narrow gauge railway system of SNCFT that delivers phosphates and iron ore for export. Sfax is also served by Sfax – Thyna International Airport with regularly scheduled flights to Paris CDG and Tripoli, and charter flights to Jeddah for the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The A1 motorway
A1 motorway (Tunisia)
The A1 motorway is a road connecting Tunis and Sfax....

 connects Sfax with Tunis.

Communications

Founded in 1961, Radio Sfax
Radio Sfax
Radio Sfax is an Arabic language radio station in Sfax, Tunisia. The station was established in 1961 and focuses on regional news and issues.The station is located on Menzel Chaker Road in Sfax, just north of the Stade Taïeb Mhiri...

 broadcasts twenty hours a day on MW 720 kHz/105.21 MHz.

Education

The University of Sfax
University of Sfax
The University of Sfax is a university located in Sfax, Tunisia. It was founded in 1986 and is organized in 8 Faculties.The University of Sfax is a university based in Sfax ....

 includes:
  • ENIS (Ecole Nationale d'Ingénieurs de Sfax) issued a number of well known scientists and industrials. http://www.enis.rnu.tn
  • ESCS (Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Sfax) issued a number of Managers, Economy and Management Researchers and Youth Entrepreneurs. http://www.escs.rnu.tn
  • FLSHS (Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaines de Sfax) issued a number of renowned poets and prose writers .(http://www.flshs.rnu.tn)
  • Sfax Faculty of Medicine (Faculté de Médecine de Sfax). http://www.fmsf.rnu.tn
  • ISAAS (Institut Supérieur d'Administration des Affaires de Sfax) http://www.isaas.rnu.tn

Notable people

  • Hedi Chaker, major national political leader assassinated by the French terrorist organization "La main rouge"
  • Farhat Hached, major syndicalist political leader assassinated by the French terrorist organization "La main rouge"
  • Sidi Ali Karray, savant and religious saint
  • Sidi Ali Ennouri, savant and religious saint
  • Sonia Karray, Dentist and philosopher
  • Ahmed Aloulou, medical doctor and nationalist militant under French occupation
  • Aboubakr Abdelkefi, Historian,Writer and Poet and co-founder of Radio Sfax
  • Mohamed Charfi, academic and politician, jurist and scholar committed Francophile and a supporter of secularism "reasoned", he headed the Tunisian League of Human Rights before being appointed to head the Department of Education.
  • Mohamed Jamoussi
    Mohamed Jamoussi
    Mohamed Jamoussi was a famous Tunisian singer, composer and poet.-Career:Jamoussi became the artistic director of the Opéra d'Alger from 1948 to 1951, while still pursuing his comedic career in Nahad with Youssef Wahby. In 1952 he left Egypt and went to Europe, where he appeared in three Italian...

    , artist, poet, composer and famous singer
  • Mme Safoua (Hamida Gargouri), artist and famous singer
  • Momdouh Bahri, artist, composer and famous Jaz Guitarist/teacher now living in France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

  • Mansour Moalla, former Minister of Economy, economist and banker
  • Fakhri Karray, Professor, PAMI Associate Director, Electrical and Computer Engineering (University of Waterloo)
  • Nouri Bouzid
    Nouri Bouzid
    Nouri Bouzid is a Tunisian film director and screenwriter. He has directed seven films between 1986 and 2006. His film Man of Ashes was screened in the Un Certain Regard section the 1986 Cannes Film Festival...

    , cineast
  • Moncef Dhouib
    Moncef Dhouib
    Moncef Dhouib is a Tunisian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer and puppeteer. He is a recipient of the FESPACO award...

    , cineast and theatre writer
  • Hédi Bouraoui
    Hédi Bouraoui
    Hédi Bouraoui is a Tunisian/Canadian poet, novelist and academic, who regularly deals with themes involving the transcendence of cultural boundaries....

    , a poet and writer now living in Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

  • Max Azria
    Max Azria
    Max Azria is a French fashion designer of Tunisian Jewish descent who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBGMAXAZRIA. Azria is also the designer, chairman and CEO of BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP, a global fashion house that encompasses over 20 brands...

    , fashion designer
  • Hatem Trabelsi, former football player for Ajax Amsterdam, Manchester City, and the Tunisian national team
  • Hammadi Agrebi, former football player for CSS
    CSS
    -Computing:*Cascading Style Sheets, a language used to describe the style of document presentations in web development*Central Structure Store in the PHIGS 3D API*Closed source software, software that is not distributed with source code...

    , All times best player
  • Lotfi Bahri, former football player for SSS
    SSS
    -Businesses and organizations:* Sigma Sigma Sigma, a U.S. sorority* Simplified Spelling Society, an organization which promotes English spelling reform* Societas Sanctissimi Sacramenti, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament...

    , writer Human Rights fighter now living in Denmark
    Denmark
    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

  • Christian Lauba
    Christian Lauba
    Christian Lauba is a Tunisian born French composer and teacher, especially noted for his compositions for saxophone. His compositions often incorporate the music of his native North Africa as well as Japanese influences. He sometimes composes under the name of Jean Matitia, particularly for jazz...

    , composer
  • Georges Perec
    Georges Perec
    Georges Perec was a French novelist, filmmaker, documentalist and essayist. He is a member of the Oulipo group...

    , writer

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Sfax is twinned with:
Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Makhachkala
Makhachkala
-Twin towns/sister cities:Makhachkala is twinned with: Sfax, Tunisia Siping, China Spokane, United States Vladikavkaz, Russia Yalova, Turkey Ndola, Zambia-See also:*...

, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...


See also

  • SfaxOnline - Portail de la ville de Sfax
  • Transport in Tunisia
    Transport in Tunisia
    Tunisia has a number of international airports to service its sizable tourist trade. Tunis is the center of the transport system as the largest city having the largest port and a light transit system.- Railways :...

  • Sufax
    Sufax
    Sufax was a hero from the Berber and Greek mythologies....

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