Chebba | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°14′14″N 11°06′54″E / 35.23722°N 11.11500°E | |
Country | Tunisia |
Governorate | Mahdia Governorate |
Population (2014)
[1] | |
• Total | 22,232 |
Time zone | UTC1 ( CET) |
Chebba (La Chebba, Ash Shabbah, aš-Šābbah, Sheba) is a small city in the Mahdia Governorate of Tunisia in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. [2]
The city of Chebba derives its name from the headland 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the east, which was classically known as Caput Vada (headland above the shoals). [3] [4] [5]
The Byzantine general Belisarius landed here in 533 and went on to inflict a devastating defeat on the Vandals. [6] The town of Chebba was founded by Justinian about 534 CE after the defeat of the Vandals, [3] and named Justinianopolis. [7]
The headland (Caput Vada) is now known as Ras Kaboudia [3] and is site of the ruins of the bordj (harbor fortress) of Bordj Khadidja, which was built upon Byzantine foundations. [8] The fortress guarded the harbor entrance and was one of a chain of similar forts built by the Abbasids along the coast of North Africa in the 8th century. It was later renamed after Khadija Ben Kalthoum, a poet of the eleventh century, who was born in Chebba. [9]
Chebba | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°14′14″N 11°06′54″E / 35.23722°N 11.11500°E | |
Country | Tunisia |
Governorate | Mahdia Governorate |
Population (2014)
[1] | |
• Total | 22,232 |
Time zone | UTC1 ( CET) |
Chebba (La Chebba, Ash Shabbah, aš-Šābbah, Sheba) is a small city in the Mahdia Governorate of Tunisia in North Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. [2]
The city of Chebba derives its name from the headland 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the east, which was classically known as Caput Vada (headland above the shoals). [3] [4] [5]
The Byzantine general Belisarius landed here in 533 and went on to inflict a devastating defeat on the Vandals. [6] The town of Chebba was founded by Justinian about 534 CE after the defeat of the Vandals, [3] and named Justinianopolis. [7]
The headland (Caput Vada) is now known as Ras Kaboudia [3] and is site of the ruins of the bordj (harbor fortress) of Bordj Khadidja, which was built upon Byzantine foundations. [8] The fortress guarded the harbor entrance and was one of a chain of similar forts built by the Abbasids along the coast of North Africa in the 8th century. It was later renamed after Khadija Ben Kalthoum, a poet of the eleventh century, who was born in Chebba. [9]