team+18+Tunisia

= Tunisia  =



**Map of Africa showing The Tunisian Republic in green.**

The Tunisian Republic is an African country, located in the Maghreb Arab region. Is the northernmost country in Africa. It has a total land area of 163,610 sq km with 155,360 sq km of land and 8,250 sq km of water. It borders Algeria to the west and Libya to the East. Tunisia has a population of 10,629,186 as of a July 2011 estimate with 98% of that population being Muslim, 1% Christian and 1% Jewish and other. The official language of Tunisia is Arabic. The Tunisian Republic's economy is diverse with major sectors in agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing [1]. Tunisian history can be broken into eight major periods. They are the Early Era, the Punic Era, The Roman Era, The Early Islamic Era, The Medieval Era, The Ottoman Era, The French Era, and the Modern Era.

The Early Era

The Berber people were the first to make an organized civilization in and around modern day Tunisia. Between the different Berber tribes occupying the area, there were almost 20 different forms of the Berber language. The language eventually died out because of the Arabization of the region. According to modern speech analysts these different forms of the Berber language formed one of five sects of the Afroasiatic set of languages. This means that the languages that the Berber's made were essential in the development of the languages of future residents of the northern parts of Africa [2].



**Example of the Berber written language.**

The early people of Tunisia made a neolithic civilization that specialized in agriculture and the domestication of animals. The Berbers were also skilled at pottery and crafting arrows presumably for hunting. Physical discoveries from archaeologists suggest that the Berber people were "farmers with a strong pastoral element in their economy and fairly elaborate cemeteries[3]." Some evidence points to the Berbers living in small farming villages. Inter-village feuds probably stopped any major civilization formation beyond the village level. This meaning that large cities and metropolises did not exist in Berber culture [2].

The Punic Era

The Punic Era is characterized by the arrival of Phoenician traders and settlers and the foundation of Carthage. This period lasted approximately from 1100 BCE to 100 BCE. Because of Tunisia and the surrounding regions location on the Mediterranean Sea, it became an important hub for trading. The earliest trading from across the Mediterranean with the Berber populations of Tunisia came in the form of Phoenicians (or Punics). The Punics came at first with interest in Berber goods, but eventually founded the city state of Carthage. As Carthage's influence grew in the region, so did their dominance.

**Map of the Carthage City State** Eventually, Carthage spread all around the northern part of Africa that bordered the Mediterranean Sea. They became a major power and the largest economy on the southern part of the Mediterranean. The Berbers, however, resisted the influence of Carthage and maintained their own cultural identity throughout the thousand year occupation of their land [4].

The Roman Era

====The Roman Era of Tunisia includes the time period in which the area was under the Roman Republic and Empire, and the time during its decline until the fall of Rome. During the Punic War, Berber kingdoms allied with Rome. The Berbers are the indigenous inhabitants of Tunisia. A mercantile state was developed at Carthage, which is near modern-day Tunis. Carthage was a major leader in the western Mediterranean world. Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, lead an assault on Rome in 211 B.C. At the end of the Punic Wars in 146 B.C., Carthage was burned down, and the lands surrounding Carthage became the Roman Province of Africa. The Romans rebuilt the city, and it became one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. As the Roman Empire began to decline, Tunisia was taken over by Vandal invaders, members of a Germanic kingdom. Around 534, the Byzantine Empire took over, and this lasted until Islamic reign began around 705.====


 * The Late Roman World.** Kurt Weitzmann. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 35, No. 2, The Late Roman World (1977). Published by: [|__The Metropolitan Museum of Art__]

( Humaid Alawadhi)
 * Roman Africa.** Mason Hammond. The Classical World, Vol. 53, No. 3 (1959). Published by: [|__Classical Association of the Atlantic States__]

Upon the arrival of the Arabs in Tunisia during the 7th century, then called Ifriqiya, they brung their language, their religion, and their new calendar. During and after the Arab conquest Arabic became the primary language in Tunisia.

The Umayyad Caliphate and family set out to take over the North Africa which included Tunisia. The conquest began in 670 when the Arab Muslim army following the command of Uqba ibn Nafi entered "Ifriqiya", Tunisia, using the same strategy the Umayyad’s used. There they established their base in Kairouan and build the mosque seen above. For years to come conflict between Muslim Arabs, Berbers, and Christian Arabs over the power of the territory continued on. From 675 – 682 the Berbers under the rule of Kusaila took over then in the 670s the Berbers were defeated by Arab army and Kusaila was taken prisoner. Then Uqba ibn Nafi rule returned, in 682, and continued until Kusaila escaped and killed Uqba. Later in 686 Kusaila was killed by Zuhair b. Qais, Uqba’s deputy. Eventually although the era ended the Arab culture continued throughout Tunisia with today’s statistics 98% Arab population and Muslim religion and Arabic dominant language. -Jasmine Brown-Moreland

The Medieval Era

The medieval era begins with the process of returning Tunisia to local Berber rule, caused by the Fatimid Caliphate moving to their newly conquered territories in Egypt. According to Philip Naylor, author of //North Africa: a history from antiquity to the present,// “the Fatimid rule in Tunisia greatly disrupted social harmony; they imposed high, unorthodox taxes, leading to a Kharijite revolt.” (Naylor 192). However, when the Fatimid leadership relocated to Cairo, they left the Berber Zirids as the local government. Conflicts in interest occurred soon after as the Fatimid Caliphate wanted to maintain its control over the Tunisian province while the ruling Berbers attempted to expel any remaining signs of Fatimid control. Normans from Sicily raided the east coast of Tunisia for the first time in 1123. After some years of attacks, in 1148 Normans under George of Antioch conquered all the coastal cities of Tunisia. The Norman king Roger II of Sicily was able to create a coastal dominion of the area between Bona and Tripoli that lasted from 1135 to 1160 and was supported mainly by the last local christian communities. Following the Normans were the Almohads, which ruled until the arrival of the Hafsid dynasty, in 1230. Toward the end, internal disarray within the Hafsid dynasty created vulnerabilities, while a great power struggle arose between Spaniard and Turk over control of the Mediterranean. The Hafsids became pawns, subject to the rival strategies of the combatants. By 1574 Tunisia had been incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.[10]

The Ottoman Era

Towards the end of the 16th century the Ottoman Empire was expanding westward across North Africa. Tunisia was taken as a province by the Ottomans during this time, specifically in 1574. Under Turkish administration janissaries were garrisoned in Tunis, the current capital, and an appointee by the Sultan ruled the province. These janissaries were made up mostly of Christians from conquered lands, but also included men from the Baltic nations. In 1590 the janissary force replaced the Sultan’s appointee with one of their own men, known as the Dey. Even though the Dey ruled Tunis, Murad Bey and his descendants dominated the rest of the country. A struggle for power ensued, and the Beys eventually were victorious. Under the Beylicale dynasty the country experienced economic advancement, as trade across the Sahara expanded. Advancement continued during the first few decades of the next dynasty, the Husaynides, but during the 18th century, the diversion towards the Atlantic of a great part of the commercial traffic as well as bad management by the beylicale leaders resulted in the financial ruin of a regency which was coveted by the Europeans. Although Tunisia had basically been autonomous for over a hundred years, it continued to be a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, by coining money in its honor, pronouncing Friday prayer in the name of the Sultan, and sending annual gifts to Istanbul. However, the Ottomans never again demanded obedience from the Tunisian province, and self- autonomy lasted until 1881 with the arrival of the French army and occupation. [5]

The Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul was built in 1882 French representation in Tunsia after the Protectorate

In an effort to halt Italy’s territorial gain Britain and France agreed for the French to occupy Tunisia. The execution, however, did not happen until 1881 when a Tunisian tribe raided the border of Algeria which was occupied by the French. After this the French sent 36,000 troops to Tunisia to invade, making Tunisia a French Protectorate on May 12, 1881. After the invasion the French helped develop Tunisian schools, roads, agriculture and mining which may seem ok in the long run but to the Tunisians it was not an improvement since the only ones that were hired were fellow Frenchmen and women whom the French brought in. Eventually in 1954 the Tunisians along with other French controlled territories began independence movement and Tunisia gained their independence. -Jasmine Brown-Moreland

The Modern Era ====During the Modern Era, Tunisia became a sovereign republic. It has over ten million citizens, which are mostly of Arab-Berber descent. The modern nationalism of Tunisia began before World War I. Pronouncements such as the Fourteen Points of Woodrow Wilson in 1918 were established in hopes that it would increase Tunisian participation in government. When this proved ineffective, the Destour Party was founded, a moderate nationalist group, only to later be split by more active members into the Neo-Destour Party, lead by Habib Bourguiba. Bourguiba became the first modern president, after obtaining full independence for Tunisia in 1956. This independence did not come easily; they declared several times that the will of the party was independence, only to have the French refuse and extremists launch a wave of terrorism. Bourguiba was president until 1987, after accomplishing law reform, living improvement, and a better foreign policy. Ben Ali, the most recent president, took over as President of the Republic in 1987.====


 * A History of Modern Tunisia.** Kenneth J. Perkins. (2004) Published by: Cambridge University Press

[|__http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Tunisia.aspx__]
 * Tunisia.** Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. (2007)

( Humaid Alawadhi) [1] CIA World Factbook: Tunisia ([]) [2] Tunisia Way: Early History in Tunisia ([]) [3] North Africa in Antiquity ([]) [4] History of Tunisia by Unknown Author. Published in 2011 by Books LLC [5] The Medieval Period by Makrem Ben Salem ( []) [6] [] [7] [] [8] [] [9] The Contemporary Period [] [10] Naylor, Philip. //North Africa: a history from antiquity to the present.// Austin: University of Texas Press, 2009.
 * __Sources__**_