 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in French. (February 2010)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Ras El jebel رأس الجبل Ras el-Jebel | |
|---|---|
Commune and town | |
 Ras Jebel | |
 | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Bizerte Governorate |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 31,574 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Ras Jebel, also known asRas el-Djebel, is atown andcommune in theBizerte Governorate ofTunisia.[1] The name of the city refers to the summit or end of the mountain, thus evoking the end of the Atlas Mountains.
Ras Jebel is set on a hill overlooking theMediterranean Sea. It has analtitude of 53 meters (174 ft).[2]
During theRoman Empire the town, founded in the 3rd or 4th century, was acivitas of theRoman Province ofAfrica and was theseat of an ancientChristianbishopric, which survives today as atitular see of theRoman Catholic Church. It appears on thePeutinger Map. There is a set ofruins of theRoman eratown of El Rhettas, 7km to the west.
Towards the second half of the14th century, the MuslimAndalusians expelled fromSpain would have settled on the site after having benefited from agricultural concessions. The inhabitants of the town carry Ghwalbia's gentile in reference to theArab tribe of Banou Ghalib from the Spanish region ofZaragoza, whence the majority of the first wave ofrefugee Moriscos that settled in Ras Jebel originated. A road linking the port ofCarthage to the region of Ras Jebel is called"Qalat el-Andalus" (Citadel of the Andalusians).
In 1956 the population of thevillage was 10 thousand and in 1975 was 15 thousand people.[3]As of 2004 thecommune had apopulation of 25,553.[4]
Historically, the region around Ras Jebel has been predominantlypeasantagriculture.Irrigation from theMedjerda has led to benefits in yields. Ras Jebel is one of thevillages withAndalusian traditions whereintensive farming dates back to the distant past. Agriculture has become progressively market-oriented and uses increasingly intensive techniques (market gardening and fruit-growing irrigation as well as intensive livestock farming).
75% of Ras Jebel farms have an area of less than fivehectares.[5]
Over the last decades, atextile industry has been established in the outskirts of the city. The first plants to be established are those ofLee Cooper. This industry employs a large number of young workers from Ras Jebel and neighboring villages. Several brands have already produced jeans in Ras Jebel such as Pepe Jeans, Joseph, Le temps des cerises.
37°12′54″N10°07′12″E / 37.215°N 10.12°E /37.215; 10.12