Photos

The old tea vendor's street

Sfax is located roughly halfway the east coast of Tunisia, just opposite the Kerkennah islands. With a population of about half a million people Sfax is the second city of the country after Tunis. Sfax isn't much of a tourist destination. The hotels and restaurants mainly cater for (Tunisian) business people. The surprising upshot is that Sfax these things tend to be cheaper than in the real touristed areas. Actually, Sfax is probably one of the best places to buy souvenir. The quality is slightly higher, and the goods are genuine.
The main attractions in town include the central sqaure, the harbour and the old city. The old city is bustling with vitality and the streets are filled with shops, without any of the tourist crowds. The harbour is one of the best places to see Tunisia in action.

Sfax

Sfax (Arabic: صفاقس‎, Safaqis, or /sfa:qs/ in Tunisian Arabic, whence the French name) is a city in Tunisia, located 270 km (168 miles) southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax governorate, and a Mediterranean port on the Gulf of Gabes. Sfax has population of 340,000 (2005), and is an industrial center for processing phosphates. The city is often described as Tunisia's Second city, because only Tunis has more inhabitants.

History

By the end of the 10th century Sfax had become an independent city state. The city was conquered by Roger of Sicily in 1148 and occupied until it was liberated in 1156 by local forces, and was briefly occupied by European forces again, this time by the Spanish, in the 16th century. Sfax became an integral base of the Barbary piracy, prompting an unsuccessful invasion by Venice in 1785. In the late 19th century Sfax and the rest of Tunisia were conquered by France and incorporated into the French empire. During World War II, the Axis powers used the city as a major base until they were defeated by British forces. After World War II, Tunisia was returned to France only to gain independence in 1956. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia)