Brief History Of Tunisia.

Brief history of Tunisia

1. The Ancient Era (1100 BCE - 533 CE)

Punic Carthage

Date	Events
Around 1100 B.C	The appearance of the Phoenicians on the Tunisian coasts.
814 B.C	The founding of the city of Carthage.
7th century B.C	Rise of Carthaginian maritime trade.
264–241 B.C	The First Punic War between Carthage and Rome, ending in Carthage's defeat.
218–201 B.C	The Second Punic War.
149–146 B.C	The Third Punic War between Carthage and Rome.
146 B.C	Destruction of Carthage and annexation of its territories by Rome.

Africa in the Roman Era

Date	Events
29 B.C. – 14 A.D	Achievements of Augustus in Africa: – Establishment of several Roman colonies, most notably the re-founding of Carthage (Colonia Julia Carthago). – Encouragement of investment in the province for the benefit of Rome’s elite. – Exclusion of Berber tribes from fertile lands.
429 – 439 A.D	The Vandals' invasion and occupation of Africa
439 – 533 A.D	Vandal rule in Africa (King Genseric ruled from 439 to 477 A.D.)
533 A.D	– mid-7th century Byzantine Africa – Rise of the power of Berber tribal groups and their resistance to Byzantine rule (Berber revolts in the 6th century) – Political and cultural division of the region into: • The Byzantine domain • The Berber domain

2. Arab era (670 - 1574 )

Islamic conquest

Date	Events
670 A.D	Founding of Kairouan by Uqba ibn Nafiʿ

The Aghlabid Dynasty( 800-910)

Date	Events
800 A.D	Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab appointed governor and granted autonomous rule
827–902 A.D	Conquest of Sicily

The Fatimid State (910–973)

Date	Events
910 A.D.	AlPolitical stability and unification of the Maghreb-Mahdi Ubayd Allah al-Fatimi enters Kairouan. Seizure of most of the western Islamic lands.
916–921 A.D	Founding of Mahdia as the Fatimid capital.
946–969 A.D	Political stability and unification of the Maghreb.
973 A.D	The Fatimids move their capital to Cairo.

The Hafsid Dynasty (1230–1574)

Date	Events
1228–1236 A.D	The Hafsids secure independence in Tunis and Ifriqiya; Abu Zakariya becomes the first independent ruler.
1270 A.D	The Eighth Crusade led by Louis IX of France and his brother, the King of Sicily, targets Tunis but fails.
1534 A.D	The Ottoman–Spanish conflict spreads to Tunisia; beginning of Hafsid decline.
Summer 1574 A.D	Final expulsion of the Spanish from Tunisian territory. End of the Hafsid state and establishment of Ottoman rule.

3. The Modern Age (1574 - 1815 )

Tunisia during the Turkish era

Date	Events
1598 – 1610	Othman Dey's sole rule

The First Period of the Husaynid Era

Date	Events
1705 – 1728	Strengthening the monarchical rule of Husayn ibn Ali through his alliance with local notables from all regions.

4. The Contemporary Era (1815 - 1956 )

Civilizational Reforms in Tunisia

Date	Events
1846	Abolition of Slavery.
1857	The Pact of Security .
1861	The Tunisian Constitution.

Tunisia under the French Protectorate

Date	Events
1881	Occupation of Tunisia.
20 March 1956	Full Independence of Tunisia.

The period of the First Republic in Tunisia (1957 - 2011)

Date	Events
1957- 1987	Habib Bourguiba assumed the presidency of the Tunisian Republic after the proclamation of the republican system in 1957, becoming the first president of independent Tunisia.
1987-2011	Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to power on November 7, 1987, after declaring that President Habib Bourguiba was medically unfit to continue ruling. However, his rule quickly turned into an authoritarian regime, marked by tight security control, suppression of freedoms, and widespread corruption and nepotism. He remained in power for over 23 years, until the outbreak of the Tunisian Revolution on December 17, 2010, which led to his departure to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011, marking the beginning of a new era in Tunisia’s history.

Date

Events

1957- 1987

Habib Bourguiba assumed the presidency of the Tunisian Republic after the proclamation of the republican system in 1957, becoming the first president of independent Tunisia.

1987-2011

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali came to power on November 7, 1987, after declaring that President Habib Bourguiba was medically unfit to continue ruling. However, his rule quickly turned into an authoritarian regime, marked by tight security control, suppression of freedoms, and widespread corruption and nepotism. He remained in power for over 23 years, until the outbreak of the Tunisian Revolution on December 17, 2010, which led to his departure to Saudi Arabia on January 14, 2011, marking the beginning of a new era in Tunisia’s history.

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Nebeur Delegation

By Walter Räuchle • February 6, 2026

The Delegation of Nabeur is one of the delegations of the Kef Governorate, located in the northwestern part of the Republic of Tunisia. It was administratively established in 1969 and was named after the city of Nabeur, which serves as its administrative center. The delegation is situated approximately 170 kilometers from the capital, Tunis.

معتمدية نبر

By Walter Räuchle • February 6, 2026

معتمدية نبر هي إحدى معتمديات ولاية الكاف في الشمال الغربي للجمهورية التونسية . تم إحداثها إداريًا سنة 1969 ، وسُمّيت باسم مدينة نبر التي تُعدّ مركزها الإداري. تبعد المعتمدية عن العاصمة تونس بحوالي 170 كيلومترًا .

Saliha

By Walter Räuchle • February 6, 2026

Ṣalīḥa (full name: Ṣallūḥa bint Ibrāhīm bin ʿAbd al-Ḥafīẓ ) was a Tunisian singer, born in 1914 in Dachra Nabr, in the Kef Governorate, and passed away on November 26, 1958, in Tunis. She became famous for her melodious voice, distinguished by a distinct Bedouin tone, which earned her a prominent place in the Tunisian music scene during the first half of the 20th century.

صَلِيحَة

By Walter Räuchle • October 23, 2025

صَلِيحَة (الاسم الكامل: صَلّوحة بنت إبراهيم بن عبد الحفيظ ) هي مطربة تونسية وُلدت سنة 1914 في دشرة نبر التابعة لولاية الكاف ، وتوفيت في 26 نوفمبر 1958 بمدينة تونس . اشتهرت بصوتها الشجي الذي تميّز بمسحة بدويّة واضحة، مما منحها مكانة بارزة في الساحة الفنية التونسية في النصف الأول من القرن العشرين.