Béja
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Beja (also known as Bedja and Bajah; Arabic: باجة) is a town in Tunisia, Africa. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located 100 km (sixty miles) from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Beja is situated on the sides of Djebel Acheb, facing the greening meadows, its white terraces and red roofs dominated by the imposing ruins of the old Roman fortress.
[edit] Geographical features
Whether you approach the town from above by way of Souk el Khemis or from below by way of Tunis or Tabarka, you cannot miss the spectacular view that enchants every stranger.
Famous for its fertile soil, Beja drew all the masters of the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians set up important trading posts. Their presence is felt through numerous Punic necropolis which have recently been unearthed. The Carthaginians, recognizing the importance of maintaining their authority in this area, built a garrison and fortified the town. Beja was extremely desirable, not only because of its fertile soil but because of its geographic location. It was at the doorway of the mountains and it was the crossroad for Carthage and Tunis going toward Cirta and Hippone.
[edit] History
On several occasions it was assaulted, brutally destroyed either by the Carthaginians, the Numidians, the Romans, or, later on, by the Vandals. The Numidian king Jugurtha made the town his governing headquarters. Originally the town was named Waga, which became Vacca and then Vaga under the Romans and eventually Badja under the Arabs and Béja under the French.
The Romans destroyed the old Carthaginian citadel and replaced it with a new one; they built fortifications that are still standing today. Under the Roman domination, Beja became prosperous and was the center of a diocese. According to Salluste, who relates the details of the famous war between Jugurtha and Metellus to possess Beja, Beja was the wealthiest warehouse of the kingdom and the center of intense commerce. Taken and destroyed by the Vandals, the citadel and ramparts were demolished, the abandoned town remained in that state for a century until the arrival of the Byzantines. They renovated the fortress and took real pleasure in beautifying the town. Beginning with the seventh century, Beja was under Arab domination. In 1880 France occupied Tunisia. On April 24, 1881 Beja in its turn was occupied by the column led by Logerot who had arrived from Algeria through the Kef.
Beja remains a picturesque town with wide horizons, a healthy climate and rich and fertile soil. Another distinctive feature is its family life, its traditional friendliness and hospitality towards foreigners.
[edit] World War II
On November 16, 1942 a German military delegation came to our town to give our Mayor Jean Hugon a 24 hours ultimatum to surrender the town. As a reaction to the ultimatum the latter informed our civil governor Mr Clement who in turn sent the message to Algiers. The next day, November 17 the first parachuted British battalion landed on the hills north of the town. Thursday November 19 German planes bombed our town for the first time, as a warning. This broke the long period of peace Beja had known for many centuries. The next day, Friday November 20, Beja was furiously bombed by German airplanes for many hours, because of its key position leading to the roads of Tabarka, Mateur, Bizerte and Algeria. The town became the stage for ferocious battles between the Germans and the Allies who fiercely defended it, at the expense of severe military and civil losses. The final German assault was launched from Mateur and was halted 15km from Béja, on the night of 28 February 1943.
