Ghar al Milh
| Ghar El Melh | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Ghar El Melh Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates: 37°10′0″N 10°11′0″E / 37.16667°N 10.18333°ECoordinates: 37°10′0″N 10°11′0″E / 37.16667°N 10.18333°E | |
| Country |
 Tunisia |
| Governorate | Bizerte Governorate |
| Population (2014) | |
| • Total | 19,477 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC1) |
Ghar El Melh (also known as Porto Farina) (Tunisian Arabic: غارالملح) is a coastal town and former port in north-eastern Tunisia. The town was an important base for Barbary pirates until it was destroyed by Admiral Robert Blake in 1655. However the harbour and defences were soon rebuilt and it became a base for British and Maltese pirates. In 1834 a huge arsenal belonging to a Maltese pirate exploded and destroyed part of the town. Ahmed Bey, the last Bey of Constantine, decided to clamp down on piracy and attempted to turn the port over to legitimate trade. He invested in new jetties and fortresses but the estuary then began to silt up. Today Ghar El Melh is a small farming town.
External links
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.