Mahdia المهدية | |
|---|---|
 .jpg)   .jpg) Clockwise from top:Mahdia Museum, theGreat Mosque of Mahdia, the port of Mahdia, a street in Mahdia, theSkifa al-Kahla. | |
 Seal | |
  Mahdia Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates:35°30′N11°04′E / 35.500°N 11.067°E /35.500; 11.067 | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Mahdia Governorate |
| Delegation(s) | Mahdia |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Faiza Boubaker Belkhir (Independent) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 76,513 |
| Time zone | UTC1 (CET) |
Mahdia (Arabic:المهديةal-Mahdīyahⓘ) is aTunisian coastal city with 76,513 inhabitants, south ofMonastir and southeast ofSousse.
Mahdia is a provincial centre north ofSfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as weaving. It is the capital ofMahdia Governorate.
The old part of Mahdia corresponds to theRoman city calledAphrodisium and, later, calledAfrica (a name perhaps derived from the older name),[1][2] orCape Africa.[3][4][5][6] TheCatholic Church's list oftitular sees includes a no longer residentialbishopric called Africa[7] and, since there is no record of an episcopal see inRoman times called by either of these names (nor by that of Alipota, another Roman town that Charles Tissot suggested tentatively might be represented by present-day Mehdia),[6] it is supposed that theepiscopal see of Africa was established when the city was held by theKingdom of Sicily, as a part of theKingdom of Africa (1147–1160) and whenPope Eugene III consecrated a bishop for it in 1148. An inventory of movable property of the church of Africa (inventarium thesauri Africani) exists in an archive of theCappella Palatina ofPalermo in Sicily.[8] Salim Dev identified Mahdia instead with ancientRuspae orRuspe,[9][verification needed] which is more commonly taken to have been at Henchir Sbia (or just Sbia), north of Mahdia, or at the ruins known as Ksour Siad.[10] The most illustrious bishop of this see wasFulgentius of Ruspe. The Catholic Church's list of titular sees, which identifies the see of Africa as Mahdia, identifies Ruspe/Ruspae as Henchir Sbia.[11]
TheMahdia shipwreck – a sunken ship found off Mahdia's shore, containing Greek art treasures – is dated to about 80 BC, the early part of Roman rule in this region.
Muslim Mahdia was founded by theFatimids under theCaliphAbdallah al-Mahdi and made the capital ofIfriqiya.[12] As the then-newly-created Fatimid Caliphate was aShi'a regime supported by aBerberKutama military, the caliph may have been motivated to move his capital here so as to put some distance between his power base and the predominantlySunni city ofKairouan (the traditional capital of Ifriqiya up to that point).[13] Construction began in 916 and the new city was officially inaugurated on 20 February 921, although some construction continued afterward.[13] In addition to its heavy fortified walls, the city included the Fatimid palaces, an artificial harbor, and acongregational mosque (theGreat Mosque of Mahdia). Most of the Fatimid city has not survived to the present day. The mosque, however, is one of the most well-preserved Fatimid monuments in theMaghreb, although it has been extensively damaged over time and was in large part reconstructed byarcheologists in the 1960s.[13] Fragments of mosaic pavements from the palaces have also been discovered from modern excavations.[13]
TheZirid dynasty, which succeeded the Fatimids in the Maghreb, moved their capital here in 1057. In 1087,the town was attacked by raiding ships fromGenoa andPisa who burned the Muslim fleet in the harbor. The attack played a critical role in Christians' seizure of control of the Western Mediterranean, which allowed theFirst Crusade to be supplied by sea.[14] Their rule was brought to an end by theNorman conquest of the city in 1148. In 1160 the city came underAlmohad rule.[15]
al-Bakri, in the 11th century, wrote about the city:[16]
"The city of Mahdia is named afterUbayd Allah al-Mahdi, who built it, as mentioned in historical records. It is sixty miles fromKairouan. The sea surrounds it on three sides, and it can only be entered from the western side. It has a large suburb known as Zwaila, where markets, public baths, and the homes of its inhabitants are located.Al-Mu‘izz ibn Badis built a wall around this suburb. The city itself is about two miles long, with its width varying—it is never as wide as its full length. All its buildings are made of stone. The city has iron gates with no wood in them, each gate weighing a thousand quintals. Each gate is thirty spans long, with each nail in them weighing six pounds. The gates are decorated with depictions of animals. [..] Mahdia serves as a harbor for ships from Alexandria, the Levant, Sicily, al-Andalus, and other places. Its port is carved into solid rock and can accommodate thirty ships."
The role of the capital was taken over byTunis in the 12th century during the Almohad era, which it remained during theHafsid Dynasty. Later the city was subject to many raids. In 1390 it was the target of theBarbary Crusade, when a French army laid siege to the city but failed to take it.[citation needed]
The city wascaptured by the Spaniards in 1550. A Spanish garrison remained there until 1553.Charles V then offered the charge of the town to theOrder of Saint John whoruled Malta but they refused it deeming it too expensive.[17] The emperor ordered the Viceroy of Sicily,Juan de Vega, to dismantle Mahdia despite it being a strategically important stronghold. The demolition tasks were carried out by Hernando de Acuña. Shortly after Mahdia was reoccupied by the Ottomans, but only to live by fishing and oil-works, and the town lost its logistic and commercial importance. It remained under Turkish rule until the19th century.[citation needed]
During theNazi Occupation of Tunisia inWorld War II, Mahdia was the site whereKhaled Abdelwahhab hid approximately two dozen persecutedJews.[18]
Gare Mahdia forms the southern terminus of themetre-gaugeSahel Metro railway line, which runs fromSousse andMonastir.[19]
| Climate data for Mahdia (1991–2020, extremes 1951–2017) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) | 36.5 (97.7) | 34.1 (93.4) | 36.2 (97.2) | 43.8 (110.8) | 48.3 (118.9) | 44.0 (111.2) | 45.0 (113.0) | 42.6 (108.7) | 39.3 (102.7) | 31.6 (88.9) | 30.0 (86.0) | 48.3 (118.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.8 (62.2) | 16.9 (62.4) | 18.6 (65.5) | 20.6 (69.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 27.5 (81.5) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.5 (88.7) | 28.9 (84.0) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.8 (71.2) | 18.2 (64.8) | 23.4 (74.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) | 13.0 (55.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.0 (62.6) | 20.2 (68.4) | 23.8 (74.8) | 26.7 (80.1) | 27.6 (81.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 22.6 (72.7) | 17.8 (64.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 19.7 (67.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.8 (47.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.5 (56.3) | 16.6 (61.9) | 20.2 (68.4) | 23.0 (73.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 22.3 (72.1) | 19.2 (66.6) | 13.8 (56.8) | 10.0 (50.0) | 15.9 (60.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.2 (32.4) | 2.0 (35.6) | 1.2 (34.2) | 0.9 (33.6) | 4.9 (40.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 9.0 (48.2) | 8.0 (46.4) | 7.0 (44.6) | 3.0 (37.4) | 0.1 (32.2) | 0.1 (32.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 37.7 (1.48) | 33.6 (1.32) | 33.0 (1.30) | 18.4 (0.72) | 18.9 (0.74) | 5.9 (0.23) | 1.5 (0.06) | 9.4 (0.37) | 67.1 (2.64) | 44.5 (1.75) | 41.3 (1.63) | 47.3 (1.86) | 385.6 (15.18) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 4.6 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 38.3 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 74.6 | 74.8 | 76.0 | 74.7 | 74.0 | 71.0 | 68.8 | 68.7 | 75.0 | 76.0 | 72.2 | 76.0 | 73.5 |
| Source 1: Institut National de la Météorologie (humidity 1961–1990)[20][21][22][note 1] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA[24] | |||||||||||||
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