| Sbeitla | |
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Sbeitla
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Governorate | Kasserine Governorate |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 20,253 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC1) |
Sbeitla (Arabic: سبيطلة) is a small town in north-central Tunisia. Nearby are the Roman ruins of Sufetula, containing the best preserved Forum temples in Tunisia. The ancient town, then held by the Byzantine Prefect Gregory was captured by Rashidun Caliphate's Governor of Egypt, Abdullah ibn Saad and his General Abd-Allah ibn al-Zubayr in 647AD and briefly served as capital of Ifriqiya.
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The oldest traces of civilization in the zone are Punic megaliths and funereal stela.
The region was inhabited by nomadic tribes until the Legio III Augusta established a camp at Ammaedara. Through the surrender of the Berber leader Tacfarinas the region was pacified and populated under the Emperor Vespasian and his sons between 67 and 69.
Some inscriptions found in the city suggest that the settlement had success along the lines of others in North Africa during the 2nd century, reaching great prosperity through the olive industry, whose cultivation benefited from excellent climatic conditions in the region. The olive presses found in the ruins of the city further bolster this conclusion. The resulting prosperity made possible the construction of a splendid forum and other important buildings.
The city began to decline during the Late Empire, during which the city was surrounded and occupied by Vandals, a fact that is demonstrated by the appearance of temples dedicated to the barbarian gods.
The arrival of the Byzantines inaugurated a new period of splendor. The Prefect Gregory moved his capital there from Carthage in the seventh century, and declared independence from Byzantium. However, only a year later the city was sacked by the first Arab invaders, and Gregory was killed.
The Arabs abandoned the city and established Kairouan as the new capital for North Africa.
The majority of the Byzantine buildings take advantage of the foundations of earlier Roman ones. They include: