Historically, the town was a Carthaginian settlement known as Tacapae before falling under Roman control. It was later ruined during the 7th-century Arab invasion but was recovered by Sidi Boulbaba, a revered companion of the Prophet Muhammad and a patron of the town. Although it experienced decline under the Ottomans, Gabès saw significant growth under French rule from 1881 to 1955, with the development of key infrastructure, including a railway, road network, and port. During World War II, the city served as the headquarters for Germany’s Afrika Korps until British and French forces retook it in 1943. Today, Gabès is a thriving commercial hub and oasis, with industries spanning fishing, agriculture, textiles, cement, brick manufacturing, and petrochemicals. Tourism also contributes to its economy, making it an important center in southern Tunisia.[5]
History
Etymology
Takapes, the ancient name of Gabès, is a PunicNumidian (Berber) toponym. Later, the prefix "Ta" (meaning "the" in Punic) was dropped, and the place became known as Kapes. As in Arabic the sound /p/ is unknown, Kapes became known as Kabes, and later known as Gabès.
Strabo refers to this city as an important entrepot of the Lesser Syrtis. Pliny (18.22) remarks that the waters of a copious fountain at Tacape were divided among the cultivators according to a system where each had the use of the water during a certain interval of time.
1943: Gabès returns to French control with the help of the British (in the Mareth Line). The operation results in serious damage to the city infrastructure.
1945: The rebuilding of Gabès starts.
1956: Gabès reverts to Tunisian control with the independence of Tunisia from the French.
Gabès is a distinguished and thriving city, surrounded by orchards of dense, intertwined gardens and orderly plantations, with a variety of inexpensive fruits. It has an abundance of dates, crops, and estates, far surpassing other lands in this regard. The city also produces olives, oil, and various other agricultural products. Gabès is protected by a strong wall, and there is a moat around it. The city contains markets, buildings, trade, and merchandise. In the past, there was a silk weaving industry here, producing fine silk. Today, there are tanneries for leather, and the city produces and supplies leather goods. A large stream flows into the city from a nearby spring, and on this stream stands the Saja Palace, which is three miles from Gabès. Gabès itself is a small, well-developed city, and it also has a market near the sea, with many merchants, silk traders, and vendors. The city's water supply comes from the Oued Gabès.
Gabès is not, strictly speaking, a compact city enclosed within a single perimeter, but rather a collection of two towns and several villages that together form a single oasis, watered by the Oued Gabès. The two main towns are named Djara and Menzel, and among the villages, the most notable is Ghenneni.
Gabès is one of the biggest industrial cities in Tunisia. Most industries are chemical oriented, this is why the city offers one of the best chemistry degrees in Africa from the University of Gabès. The main industries are:
Cement
Chemical products
Brick Factories
Oil refinery
The fast-growing numbers of factories has resulted in fairly serious pollution in the area and the Gulf of Gabès. In recent years the government has worked on new programs and laws to curb pollution.
Gabès will soon be upgraded with one light rail system under the number 7 that will run from the railway station to the port of Gabès. Featuring rolling stock made by Alstom, Gabès will receive 15 new train sets.
Railways
Gabès is terminus of a narrow gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) branch railway from the capital, and is the nearest railway station to the Libyan border at Ras Ajdir.
Gabès has also one of the biggest ports in Tunisia; it is used usually to ship the mineral products from the city of Gafsa.
Roads
Gabès will be linked soon with the national motorway A1 (Tunis – Ras Ajdir).
Gabès is famous for its traditional Souqs in Jarah; it is known also for its attractive beach and the unusual seaside oasis (Gabès is located on the coast of the Mediterranean). The best parts of the beach are in the south of the city (Road to Djerba). The best one is the Lemawa or Lemaya beach. The government is planning to build a tourist zone there in the coming years.
Gabès has a unique feature in the world, in this city you find the mountain, the sea, the oasis and the desert. The streets of Gabès come alive at night during Ramadan, where sooks (shops) are open on the streets and parties happen almost every day in the night during Ramadan.
The most visited place in Gabès is the town Matmata.
