Chief town of the governorate of Gafsa
Situation and characteristics
Gafsa, situated on the border between the steppe country and the desert, is the principal commercial and communications center of southwestern Tunisia. It lies in a large upland oasis with some 300,000 date-palms, huge plantations
of olive-trees and artificially irrigated fruit orchards.
Nearby are large deposits of phosphates and iron ore.
The town's economy is centered on the marketing of agricultural produce and the production of woven fabrics in traditional designs. Many families live by making and selling fine carpets and white-and-red striped woolen blankets, and many men find employment in the phosphate mines at Metlaoui, 42km/26mi east. There is a large market on Tuesdays.
History
The Gafsa area was already settled by man in the eighth millennium B.C. The culture of that period is known as Capsian (from Capsa, the Latin name for Gafsa), after the type site on Djebel Assalah (3km/2mi from the town). In the second century B.C. there was a Numidian settlement here, which was conquered and destroyed by Marius in 106 B.C. The town was refounded under the Roman Empire and developed into an important garrison town and spa. In the reign of Trajan it was given the status of a colonia. In 540 it was fortified by the Byzantines and renamed Justiniania. It was again destroyed by the Arabs in 680 and thereafter was slow to recover. The old Kasbah, built by the Hafsids in 1434, was captured by the Turkish corsair Dragut in 1556.
The discovery of phosphate deposits in the early 20th century brought a rapid economic upswing. The phosphates are now processed in Gafsa, Sfax and Gabès to produce artificial fertilisers, fluorine and phosphoric acid.
In the Second World War the town suffered severe destruction during fighting between German and Allied forces. In 1980 it was the target of a guerrilla attack, allegedly supported by Libya, in an attempted coup d'état.
After the destruction it suffered during the Second World War Gafsa was rebuilt with wide avenues and spacious squares and is now a town of mainly modern aspect, with few remains of the Roman period.
Access
Gafsa lies at the intersection of a number of important roads: GP 15 from Kasserine; GP 3, coming from Kairouane and continuing to Tozeur; GP 14 from Sfax; and GP 15 from Gabès. It is 146km/91mi northwest of Gabès, 106km/66mi south of Kasserine and 93km/58mi northeast of Tozeur.
Rail connections with Metlaoui/Tozeur, Gabès and Sfax/Sousse/Tunis; station (Gafsa-Gare) 3km/2mi southeast on the Gabès road. Bus services to and from Metlaoui, Tozeur, Nefta, Kairouan/Tunis, Sfax and Gabès; bus station (Gare Routière) in the town center.
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