History of Tabarka
Tabarka is an interesting place historically as like much of the coastline in Tunisia it has seen the coming and going of a number of cultures and taken something from all of them making it one of the most interesting and unique places to visit in Tunisia.
Beginnings to the Roman Period
Tabarka is actually a very old name and apparently dates back from the Phoenician period where a very small settlement was there. Given the natural riches of the Tabarka region it was not long before more people moved there and the area become an important for the roman empire especially the nearby are of Chemtou (formally Simitthu) which was a valuable source of Marble for the empire along with the other natural resources of the region.
Famously the region was ruled by the roman general Gildo who sailed from Africa (Tunisia) away from a war with his brother only for the wind to blow him back to Tabarka where the locals took the opportunity to imprison him where he later committed suicide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gildo
Vandals to the Islamic conquest
After the fall of Rome Tabarka was park of the Vandal kingdom of Gaiseric (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Gaiseric) who was also king of much of what is now Morocco and Algeria and then subsequently he moved on to conquer Carthage.
Following the Islamic conquest and the ottoman Turkish empire, Tabarka acquired its most famous landmark. In circa 1540 the Genoese family Lomellini gained a business arrangement for them to pay a lease for the monopoly of the areas coral deposits and the right to station a garrison for the protection of their operation. According to Houtsma in his version of E.J. Brill’s first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936 There are accounts that this exceptional arrangement may possibly have been part of the ramsom agreement for Turgut Reis (Dragut) who was one of the Ottomans leading military men of the time and then prisoner of the Genoise.
For over 200 years the family held the land and the fort developing it into a successful Christian outpost where various businesses where conducted. This success along with the strategic importance of the base made Tabarka a coveted located for the French. In-fact it was due to the Bay of Tunis discovering an imminent deal for the base that he ordered its invasion in 1741.
The French till the present
Under the French Tabarka become a popular hunting and fishing centre though never quite recapturing the heights of the Genoese tenure. The French period in Tabarka is still the most obvious when viewing the towns buildings which have the look and feel of a French seaside resort.
Tabarka is also famous for being a place of exile for Habib Bourguiba who in 1952 was here a fact that is commemorated in a statue in the town centre.
The Future
Tabarka has invested a lot in the tourism industry and should be successful long term as it is a beautiful an compact resort which lends itself to relaxation many of the things that historically have attracted people here are the same things that are important to the tourism industry.
