Mahdia

Overview

Mahdia is a cute seaside town between Sousse and Sfax . You can hardly imagine that this was once the capital of Tunisia.

Proclaimed the capital of Tunisia in 921, Mahdia was long the center of a power struggle between the Caliph of Cairo and local sovereigns. Repeatedly attacked by nomads, Genoese navies, Sicilian troops, liberated by the Berbers, Mahdia became a headquarters for the pirates of Dargouth and battles with Spanish and Maltese knights.

The Central Mosque dates from the 10th century. It is an austere building. The entrance to the Medina is through an enormous 16th century gate. Wandering through the old city visitors can see the vestiges of the ancient ramparts and fortress, visit the "Cape Africa" lighthouse and the beautiful sailors cemetery.

Mahdia of today is that of the fisherman mending his nets and the silk weavers in the Rue Sidi Jaber. A few kilometers from the town itself a myriad of modern first class hotels offer visitors one of the finest beaches in Tunisia.

History