El Kef
Encyclopedia
El Kef also known as Le Kef, is a city in north western Tunisia
and the capital of the Kef Governorate
.
Situated in the northwest of the country, 175 kilometres (108.7 mi) to the west of Tunis
and some 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) east of the border between Algeria and Tunisia, El Kef has a population of (2004 census). The old town is built on the cliff face of the table-top Jebel Dyr mountain. El Kef was the provisional capital of Tunisia during World War II
. It was the command centre of the Front de Libération Nationale
during the Algerian War of Independence
against the French
in the 1950s.
The patron saint
of El Kef is Sidi Bou Makhlouf who gave his name to the city's mausoleum
.
era, then later Sicca Veneria during the rise of Roman domination
, the city has carried numerous names throughout its history: Colonia Julia Cirta, Cirta Nova, Sikka Beneria, Shaqbanariya and finally El Kef since the 16th century.
reaches hectare
s of which 45 lie within the interior of the old walled Medina quarter
.
The municipality of El Kef is shared between two delegations
, East Kef and West Kef, which correspond to the two municipal boroughs.
In the early 5th Century Apiarius of Sicca
was a priest here, and instigated a fued between Carthage and Rome on the rights of the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Africa to manage their affairs after he appealed his excommunication to by Bishop Urbanus to the Pope.
In 688
AD, the city was raided during the Umayyad conquest of North Africa
.
In the 17th century, a fort was built to house a permanent garrison (ujaq); the construction was completed by the addition of fortified ramparts in 1740. This did not however prevent the taking and pillaging of the city by the Algeria
ns in 1756, nor the occupation by the French military from 1881. On July 8 1884, the authorities of the new French Protectorate
declared a municipality, one of the first in the country.
In 1973, the city welcomed a summit between the Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba
and the Algerian president Houari Boumédiène
; the latter proposed a constitution for a Tunisian-Algerian union which Bourquiba declined in favor of the development of economic cooperation between the two countries.
movement. A symbol of this, the Sidi Bou Makhlouf Mausoleum holds the tomb of the founder of the Aissawa
brotherhood in Tunisia, Sidi Bou Makhlouf. The El Qadriya mosque is another important building.
A legacy of the old local Jewish community
, the synagogue of the Ghriba is the object of great veneration by Jews of the region, who come in pilgrimage each year during the week marked by the festival of Sukkot
.
The city is home to the mausoleum of Ali Tukie, the father of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki
, founder of the Husainid dynasty
which ruled Tunisia from 1705 to 1957.
As well, the vestiges, also well conserved, of a three-naved Roman basilica
dating from the beginning of the 5th century named Dar El Kous, dedicated to Saint Peter, have been discovered.
who hails from the region.
back to the tastes of the present. This city alone continues to respect this age-old ritual.
lightly sweetened by alternating layers of dry fruits, dates, and meat of lamb.
. The city is linked with surrounding cities by a network of taxi
s called louages, and with the capital, Tunis, by a regional railway line passing through Dahmani
.
, France
, officially sealed in 1999 and 2000 with the signing of an agreement of exchange and friendship.
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
and the capital of the Kef Governorate
Kef Governorate
Kef Governorate is one of the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia. It is situated in north-western Tunisia, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 4,965 km² and has a population of 259,000...
.
Situated in the northwest of the country, 175 kilometres (108.7 mi) to the west of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
and some 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) east of the border between Algeria and Tunisia, El Kef has a population of (2004 census). The old town is built on the cliff face of the table-top Jebel Dyr mountain. El Kef was the provisional capital of Tunisia during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It was the command centre of the Front de Libération Nationale
Front de Libération Nationale
Front de Libération Nationale may refer to:* National Liberation Front , a socialist political party founded in 1954 for independence from France for Algeria...
during the Algerian War of Independence
Algerian War of Independence
The Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...
against the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the 1950s.
The patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of El Kef is Sidi Bou Makhlouf who gave his name to the city's mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
.
Etymology
First known by the name of Sicca during the CarthaginianPunics
The Punics were a group of western Semitic-speaking peoples from Carthage in North Africa who traced their origins to a group of Phoenician and Cypriot settlers, but also to North African Berbers . Punics were probably a mix of Berbers and Phoenicians in terms of culture and ancestry...
era, then later Sicca Veneria during the rise of Roman domination
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the city has carried numerous names throughout its history: Colonia Julia Cirta, Cirta Nova, Sikka Beneria, Shaqbanariya and finally El Kef since the 16th century.
Geography
The highest-elevated city of Tunisia, at 780 meters, its metropolitan areaArea
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
reaches hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s of which 45 lie within the interior of the old walled Medina quarter
Medina quarter
A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets...
.
The municipality of El Kef is shared between two delegations
Delegations of Tunisia
||The delegations of Tunisia are the second level administrative divisions of Tunisia between the governorates and the sectors . there were 24 governorates which were divided into 264 delegations and further divided into 2073 sectors...
, East Kef and West Kef, which correspond to the two municipal boroughs.
History
El Kef has been since ancient times the principal city of High-Tell and of the Tunisian northwest of which it constitutes, until recently, the political center, the most important religious center, and the dominant stronghold.In the early 5th Century Apiarius of Sicca
Apiarius of Sicca
Apiarius of Sicca was an African priest convicted by the Bishops of Africa of numerous unspecified crimes in the early 5th century AD, and excommunicated by Bishop Urbanus of Sicca Veneria. In 418 Apiarius appealed his convictions directly to Pope Zosimus by-passing the African Bishops appeals...
was a priest here, and instigated a fued between Carthage and Rome on the rights of the jurisdiction of the Bishops of Africa to manage their affairs after he appealed his excommunication to by Bishop Urbanus to the Pope.
In 688
688
Year 688 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 688 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Emperor Justinian II of the Byzantine...
AD, the city was raided during the Umayyad conquest of North Africa
Umayyad conquest of North Africa
The Umayyad conquest of North Africa continued the century of rapid Arab Muslim expansion following the death of Muhammad in 632 CE. By 640 the Arabs controlled Mesopotamia, had invaded Armenia, and were concluding their conquest of Byzantine Syria. Damascus was the seat of the Umayyad caliphate....
.
In the 17th century, a fort was built to house a permanent garrison (ujaq); the construction was completed by the addition of fortified ramparts in 1740. This did not however prevent the taking and pillaging of the city by the Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
ns in 1756, nor the occupation by the French military from 1881. On July 8 1884, the authorities of the new French Protectorate
French Protectorate of Tunisia
The French protectorate of Tunisia was established in 1881, during the Scramble for Africa, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956....
declared a municipality, one of the first in the country.
In 1973, the city welcomed a summit between the Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian statesman, the Founder and the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from July 25, 1957 until 7 November 1987...
and the Algerian president Houari Boumédiène
Houari Boumediene
Houari Boumedienne served as Algeria's Chairman of the Revolutionary Council from 19 June 1965 until 12 December 1976, and from then on as the fourth President of Algeria to his death on 27 December 1978.- Background :Mohamed Ben Brahim Boukharouba was born near Héliopolis in the province of...
; the latter proposed a constitution for a Tunisian-Algerian union which Bourquiba declined in favor of the development of economic cooperation between the two countries.
Religious buildings
El Kef is home to a certain number of Islamic religious edifices, in its role as the center of an important SuficSufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
movement. A symbol of this, the Sidi Bou Makhlouf Mausoleum holds the tomb of the founder of the Aissawa
Aissawa
The Aissawa is a religious and mystical brotherhood founded in Meknès, Morocco, by Muhammad Ben Aïssâ , best known as the Chaykh Al-Kâmil, or "Perfect Sufi Master"...
brotherhood in Tunisia, Sidi Bou Makhlouf. The El Qadriya mosque is another important building.
A legacy of the old local Jewish community
History of the Jews in Tunisia
The history of the Jews in Tunisia goes back to Roman times. Before 1948, the Jewish population of Tunisia reached a peak of 110,000. From the 1950s, half this number left for Israel and the other half for France...
, the synagogue of the Ghriba is the object of great veneration by Jews of the region, who come in pilgrimage each year during the week marked by the festival of Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...
.
The city is home to the mausoleum of Ali Tukie, the father of Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki
Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki was the founder of the Husainid Dynasty, which ruled Tunisia until 1957.-Biography:Husayn was of Cretan origin, although it is not known for sure whether Greek or Turkish...
, founder of the Husainid dynasty
Husainid Dynasty
The Husainid Dynasty is the former ruling dynasty of Tunisia originally of Cretan origin. They came to power under Al-Husayn I ibn Ali at-Turki in 1705 replacing the Muradid Dynasty. After taking power the Husainids ruled as Beys with succession to the throne determined by age with the oldest...
which ruled Tunisia from 1705 to 1957.
As well, the vestiges, also well conserved, of a three-naved Roman basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
dating from the beginning of the 5th century named Dar El Kous, dedicated to Saint Peter, have been discovered.
Museums
The Museum of the Popular Arts and Traditions of El Kef, housed within a museum built in the 18th century, presents collections which retrace the social habits and customs which prevailed before the independence of the country.Music
The city of El Kef is known for its rich cultural patrimony and is particularly distinguished in Tunisian music and popular songs. It is in this context that the Bou Makhlouf festival is organized each year, in the month of July, and the Saliha Festival, once every other year. The latter takes its name from the singer SalihaSaliha
Saliha is one of the Seven Lebanese Villages that was later transferred to the British Mandate of Palestine. Originally part of the Jabal Amel district of South Lebanon, this term has been historically used to denote the homeland of Shi'a Muslims in Southern Lebanon...
who hails from the region.
Festivals
The festival of Mayou, also known as the festival of Borzgane, brings the traditional Keffish couscousCouscous
Couscous is a Berber dish of semolina traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it. Couscous is a staple food throughout Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.-Etymology:...
back to the tastes of the present. This city alone continues to respect this age-old ritual.
Performing arts
Seat of the National Center for the Dramatic and Scenic Arts of El Kef, the city also organizes the festival of "24 hours of non-stop theatre".Media
Radio Le Kef, the regional radio service founded November 7 1991, covers the northwest of the country.Education
Schools, institutes, and faculties include the El Kef Higher Institute of Applied Studies in the Humanities, El Kef Higher Institute of Music and Theatre, El Kef Higher Institute of Information Technology, El Kef Higher Institute of Physical Education, El Kef Graduate School of Agriculture, and El Kef Higher Institute of Nursing Science.Cuisine
The cuisine of El Kef is differentiated by two preparations specific to the region. First, a typical regional bread, mjamaa or khobz el aid, is prepared at festival times, covered with an egg and decorated with pastry. Second, borzgane is a type of couscousCouscous
Couscous is a Berber dish of semolina traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it. Couscous is a staple food throughout Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.-Etymology:...
lightly sweetened by alternating layers of dry fruits, dates, and meat of lamb.
Government
The city council is composed of 22 members, including a president, vice president, borough chief, six assistants and thirteen counselors.Transportation
The transportation company of El Kef is the only company offering a public transit service by busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
. The city is linked with surrounding cities by a network of taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
s called louages, and with the capital, Tunis, by a regional railway line passing through Dahmani
Dahmani
Dahmani is a town and commune in the Kef Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 14,061.-References:...
.
Cooperative agreements
El Kef has had a sister-city relationship since 1993 with Bourg-en-BresseBourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse is a commune in eastern France, capital of the Ain department, and was capital of the former province of Bresse . It is located north-northeast of Lyon.The inhabitants of Bourg-en-Bresse are known as Burgiens.-Geography:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, officially sealed in 1999 and 2000 with the signing of an agreement of exchange and friendship.