Chebba (La Chebba, Ash Shabbah, aš-Šābbah, Sheba) is a small city in the Mahdia GovernorateofTunisiainNorth Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.[2]
Chebba
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  Chebba Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates: 35°14′14″N 11°06′54″E / 35.23722°N 11.11500°E / 35.23722; 11.11500 | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Mahdia Governorate |
| Population
(2014)[1]
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| • Total | 22,232 |
| Time zone | UTC1 (CET) |
The city of Chebba derives its name from the headland 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the east, which was classically known as Caput Vada (headland above the shoals).[3][4][5]
The Byzantine general Belisarius landed here in 533 and went on to inflict a devastating defeat on the Vandals.[6] The town of Chebba was founded by Justinian about 534 CE after the defeat of the Vandals,[3] and named Justinianopolis.[7]
The headland (Caput Vada) is now known as Ras Kaboudia[3] and is site of the ruins of the bordj (harbor fortress) of Bordj Khadidja, which was built upon Byzantine foundations.[8] The fortress guarded the harbor entrance and was one of a chain of similar forts built by the Abbasids along the coast of North Africa in the 8th century. It was later renamed after Khadija Ben Kalthoum, a poet of the eleventh century, who was born in Chebba.[9]
Media related to Chebba at Wikimedia Commons