Sousse
Sousse
سوسة | |
---|---|
UTC+1 (CET) | |
Website | www |
Official name | Medina of Sousse |
Criteria | Cultural: (iii)(iv)(v) |
Reference | 498bis |
Inscription | 1988 (12th Session) |
Extensions | 2010 |
Area | 31.68 ha (0.1223 sq mi) |
Buffer zone | 60.99 ha (0.2355 sq mi) |
Sousse or Soussa (
Toponymy
Sousse and Soussa are both French spellings of the Arabic name Sūsa. The present city has also grown to include the ruins of Hadrumetum, which had many names in several languages during antiquity.[1][2][3]
Geography
Sousse is in the center of
Sousse is between two wadis: the Wadi Bliban (and its tributary the Wadi al-Kharrub) to the north and northwest and the Wadi al-Halluf to the southeast.[5] The subsoil is mostly sedimentary with some deep alluvial deposits, which are more recent closer to the coast.[5] Winters are generally mild, there is an average of 69 days of rainfall per year, and there is a lot of sunshine year-round with relatively few cloudy days.[5]
Administration
The Municipality of Sousse is the capital of a governorate that extends over 2669 km2.[6] It is divided into four municipal districts:[7] Sousse Nord, Sousse Sud, Sousse Médina and Sousse Riadh. The first two were created on 11 February 1976 and the last two on 19 February 1982. Its main constituencies and Delegation are four in number: Sousse Sidi Abdelhamid, Sousse Médina, Sousse Jawhara and Sousse Riadh. Its geographic code is 31.
History
Hadrumetum
In the 11th century BC, in the 580s and 570s BC.
The city featured in the
The
Medieval Susa
Muslim Arab armies rapidly spread Arab culture across what had been a thoroughly Romanized and Christianized landscape. Under the Aghlabids, Susa was established near the ruins of Hadrumetum and served as their main port. Their 827 invasion of Sicily was mainly launched from the town's harbor. After the Byzantine city of Melite (modern Mdina on Malta) was captured by the Aghlabids in 870, marble from its churches was used to build the Ribat.[14] A soaring structure that combined the purposes of a minaret and a watch tower, it remains in outstanding condition and draws visitors from around the world. Its mosque is sometimes accounted the oldest surviving in the region and the town's main mosque, also built during the 9th century, has a similarly fortress-like appearance.
Susa was briefly occupied by Norman Sicily in the 12th century; it fell to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th; and it was bombarded by a French and Venetian fleet in the 18th.
Medieval Susa was known for its textile industries, producing silk and flax fabrics called Sūsī. Especially renowned were its robes called shuqqas, some of which were mass-produced and sold ready-to-wear throughout the Mediterranean.[15]
After the decline of Mahdia in the 15th and 16th centuries, Susa remained as the most important town in the Sahel region, with a population of about 15,000.[5]
Colonial Sousse
Tunisia became a
Before the
The first developments outside the medina walls were begun during this period, but they were home to a relatively small number of people until after the
Modern Sousse
When Tunisia became independent in 1956, Sousse was made a wileya capital and it continued to expand in all directions.
Sousse has retained the Arabian look and feel it assumed in the centuries after its initial conquest. Today it is considered one of the best examples of seaward-facing fortifications built by the Arabs. With a population of about 200,000, Sousse retains a medieval heart of narrow, twisted streets, a
Sousse was the site of the
On 26 June 2015, a lone gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi, opened fire on tourists sunbathing on a beach near the Riu Imperial Marhaba and Soviva hotels, killing 38 and wounding 39, before being shot dead by the police.
Cityscape
Demography
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1993 | 421,800 | — |
2006 | 568,200 | +34.7% |
2007 | 579,000 | +1.9% |
2008 | 590,100 | +1.9% |
2009 | 608,600 | +3.1% |
2010 | 621,758 | +2.2% |
2011 | 635,122 | +2.1% |
2012 | 648,695 | +2.1% |
2013 | 662,481 | +2.1% |
2014 | 677,500 | +2.3% |
2015 | 690,700 | +1.9% |
2016 | 703,600 | +1.9% |
2017 | 716,600 | +1.8% |
2019 | 737,027 | +2.9% |
As of 2019, Sousse's population was 737,027.[17] Males represent 50.1% of the population structure (with a population of 509,456) against 49.9% by females (with a population of 507,426) in 2014.[18]
Public services
The city contains the University of Sousse, formerly known as the University of the Center, including its Ibn El Jazzar, Faculty of Medicine, the Sousse National School of Engineers, and the Higher Institute of Music of Sousse, founded in 1999.
There are a number of high schools, such as the pilot high school of Sousse, the boys' high school, the Tahar-Sfar high school (formerly the young girls' high school), the 20 – March 1934 high school (technical high school), the Abdelaziz-El-Bahi high school or the Jawhara high school, and colleges, such as the Pilot College of Sousse, the Mohamed El Aroui College and the Constantine College.
Sousse is served by a hospital, the Hospital of Sahloul, the largest in the region.
Economy
Sousse's most important economic activity takes place in the
Sousse is the third largest city in Tunisia after Tunis and Sfax. Although it is associated with olive oil manufacture and has other industries, tourism predominates today. An olive grove covering more than 2,500 km2 (965 sq mi) constitutes one of its main riches since antiquity. The busy port near downtown adds a touch of liveliness to its activity. Sousse also had many oil wells in the area during its colonial period.
Tourism
Sousse is an important tourist resort. It has a
Only 20 km (12 mi) from Monastir and Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, hotel complexes with a capacity of 40,000 beds extend 20 km (12 mi) from the old city (medina) north along the seafront to Port El Kantaoui. Some 1,200,000 visitors come every year to enjoy its hotels and restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, beaches, and sports facilities.
Sousse is considered a popular tourist destination, especially due to its nightlife. Well-known nightclubs include Bora Bora, Living, Rediguana, Platinum, and The Saloon. The top producers and DJs in dance come to play at the various clubs. The season traditionally begins at the start of June and finishes on the first weekend of October with the closing parties.
Transport
Sousse is well-connected with the main
Since 2010 the electrified Sahel Metro line goes south to Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, Monastir, and Mahdia. This line has the Sousse - Bab Jadid station as its northern terminus in Sousse's city center, and 4 additional stations in the city.
Intercity buses and red-strip microbuses (so-called louages) connect Sousse with many cities in Tunisia. Urban transit in Sousse is served by routes of articulated and conventional buses, blue-strip louages, and cheap taxis. The 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) Sousse–Kairouan Decauville railway operated from 1882 to 1996, before it was regauged to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge.
Sights
Medina
A
UNESCO declared the medina of Sousse a World Heritage Site in 1988, citing among various things its preservation from modern development.
Port Kantaoui
The Kantaoui Port, is a touristic station in the form of a Port. It was built in 1979 specifically as a tourist center.[19]
The architecture, although modern and dazzlingly white, has been modeled on the more traditional buildings in Tunisia, complete with narrow streets and arches. The hotels that line the beachfront extend from Sousse itself along miles of sparkling clean sea to the harbor of Port El Kantaoui and to the north of the harbor.
Religious buildings
Great Mosque
Located at the entrance to the medina, it was erected by the Aghlabid sovereign Aboul Abbas I (841–856) in 850–851, almost thirty years after the construction of the Ribat of Sousse. This mosque is the most emblematic of a city that became a few years after the reign of Ziadet-Allah I (817–838), the second city of Ifriqiya and the Sahel. Subsequently, the building is enlarged during the reign of Ibrahim II (875–902).
Other religious sights
- Bou Ftetah Mosque
- Médersa El Zaqqaq
- Église Saint-Félix
-
Mosquée Bou Fetatah
-
Minaret Al Zaqqaq
-
Saint Félix Cathedral
Sport
Sousse is represented by Étoile Sportive du Sahel, a large multisport club. Football is the city's most popular sport, and ES Sahel has won the Tunisian football championship ten times and the Tunisian Cup ten times. The team's home ground is Stade Olympique de Sousse. Handball, basketball, and volleyball are also popular.
Climate
The highest recorded temperature was 48 °C (118 °F) on 28 August 2007, while the lowest recorded temperature was 4.5 °C (40.1 °F) on 27 December 1993.[21]
Climate data for Sousse | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 27 (81) |
30 (86) |
37 (99) |
36 (97) |
43 (109) |
47 (117) |
47 (117) |
48 (118) |
42 (108) |
40 (104) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
48 (118) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.4 (74.1) |
27.1 (80.8) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
30.2 (86.4) |
25.6 (78.1) |
20.8 (69.4) |
16.7 (62.1) |
23.0 (73.4) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.6 (60.1) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.9 (69.6) |
16.1 (61.0) |
12.4 (54.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
11.0 (51.8) |
14.1 (57.4) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
20.9 (69.6) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.3 (61.3) |
11.5 (52.7) |
8.1 (46.6) |
13.6 (56.6) |
Record low °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5 (41) |
5.5 (41.9) |
5.5 (41.9) |
9 (48) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
16 (61) |
15 (59) |
7 (45) |
5.5 (41.9) |
4.5 (40.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) |
48 (1.9) |
35 (1.4) |
28 (1.1) |
15 (0.6) |
9 (0.4) |
2 (0.1) |
7 (0.3) |
35 (1.4) |
44 (1.7) |
35 (1.4) |
53 (2.1) |
354 (14.1) |
Average rainy days | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 59 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
Source 1: Climate-Data.org,[20] Weather2Travel for rainy days and sunshine[22] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Voodoo Skies for record temperatures[21] |
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
16 °C (61 °F) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 16 °C (61 °F) | 18 °C (64 °F) | 21 °C (70 °F) | 24 °C (75 °F) | 26 °C (79 °F) | 25 °C (77 °F) | 23 °C (73 °F) | 21 °C (70 °F) | 18 °C (64 °F) |
Notable people
- Ons Jabeur, professional tennis player
- Salvius Julianus or Julian the Jurist, a master jurist, public official, and politician who served in the Roman imperial state under four successive emperors.
- Primasius of Hadrumetum, Roman bishop and exegete, noted for his Commentary on the Apocalypse
- Mohamed Ghannouchi, former prime minister
- Hamadi Jebali, former prime minister
- Aymen Abdennour, footballer
- Makrem Ben Romdhane, basketball player
- Dov Alfon, author and journalist
- Marcel Dadi, guitarist who died in the TWA accident of 1996.
- Zine El Abidine Ben Ali former President
- Sleim Ammar, neuropsychiatrist and poet.
Twin towns – sister cities
Sousse is twinned with:
- Boulogne-Billancourt, France[23]
- Braunschweig, Germany[24]
- Constantine, Algeria[25]
- İzmir, Turkey[26]
- Latakia, Syria[citation needed]
- Ljubljana, Slovenia[27]
- Marrakesh, Morocco[28]
- Nice, France[29]
- Thiès, Senegal[30]
- Weihai, China[31]
Gallery
References
- ^ Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, Gazeteer, page 511, Map 33 Theveste-Hadrumetum, Compiled by R.B. Hitchner, 1997, in file BATL033_.PDF in B_ATLAS.ZIP Archived 7 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine from Princeton University Press | Subjects | Browse Princeton Catalog by Subject | Archaeology and Ancient History | Archaeology and Ancient History | Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. R.J.A. Talbert, ed. Archived 26 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine | Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, Edited by Richard J. A. Talbert | Map-by-Map Directory.
- ^ a b ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Report – The Medina of Sousse Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine from Site Officiel de la Ville de Sousse | Découvrir Sousse Archived 10 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine | Histoire et Patrimoine | Sousse Patrimoine Mondial de l'humanité Archived 27 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Sousse Archaeological Bulletin "SOCIÉTÉ ARCHÉOLOGIQUE DE SOUSSE, Assemblée générale du 29 Février 1903, Extraits des procès-verbaux des réunions." etc., from Institut National du Patrimoine Tunisie / National Heritage Institute (INP) | Digital Library | Sousse Archaeological Bulletin (near bottom of page).
- ^ Geographic : coordinates of Sousse, Tunisia
- ^ ISBN 90-04-10422-4. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ "Tunisie • Fiche pays • PopulationData.net". 11 March 2020.
- ^ "Arrondissements". www.commune-sousse.gov.tn. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010.
- ^ "Medina of Sousse". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ a b Babelon (1911), p. 802.
- ^ New Class. Dict. (1860), s.v. "Hadrūmētum".
- ^ Norie (1831), p. 348.
- ^ Sallust, Jug., 19.
- ^ Suetonius, Div. Jul., §59. (in Latin) & (in English)
- ^ Brincat, Joseph M. "New Light on the Darkest Age in Malta's History" (PDF). melitensiawth.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
- ISBN 0520048695. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ The Further Adventures Of Terrible-tempered Bobby
- ^ : Sousse – Total Population
- ^ : Sousse Agglomeration
- ^ "Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia". PlanetWare – Your Unlimited Travel Guide to the World. Retrieved 20 March 2006.
- ^ a b "Climate: Sousse – Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Sousse, Tuisia". Voodoo Skies. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Sousse Climate and Weather Averages, Tunisia". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ "Jumelages". boulognebillancourt.com (in French). Boulogne-Billancourt. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Braunschweigs Partner- und Freundschaftsstädte". braunschweig.de (in German). Braunschweig. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Le printemps de Sousse est de retour". letemps.com.tn (in French). Le Temps. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Kardeş Kentler". izmir.bel.tr (in Turkish). İzmir. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Intercity cooperation". ljubljana.si. Mestna občina Ljubljana. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Investissement à Marrakech". amde.ma (in French). Agence Marocaine pour le Développement de l'Entreprise. 5 September 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Tunisie: Jumelage entre les villes de Sousse et Nice". tunisienumerique.com (in French). Tunisie Numerique. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Hommage à Sembene Ousmane". seneplus.com (in French). Seneplus. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "友好城市". weihai.gov.cn (in Chinese). Weihai. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
Further reading
- A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology, and Geography, New York: Harper & Bros, 1860.
- Babelon, Ernest Charles François (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 802–803. . In
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 162.
- Norie, J.W. (1831), New Piloting Directions for the Mediterranean Sea..., London: J.W. Norie & Co.
External links
Official:
- Sousse (Municipalité). "Portail officiel de la municipalité de Sousse" (in French). Archived from the original on 10 January 2012.
- Sousse (Municipalité). "Portail officiel de la municipalité de Sousse > Découvrir Sousse > Histoire et Patrimoine" (in French). Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. > 'Sousse Patrimoine Mondial de l'humanité' and 'Sousse dans l'histoire'
- Office de la marine marchande et des ports (Tunisia). "Port de Sousse" (in French). Archived from the original on 4 June 2008.
- Cultural portal. "Portail de la ville de Sousse" (in French).
General references and travel guides:
- Sousse travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Interactive Virtual Tour of Sousse
- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). 1911. .
Photographs: