A modest village placed in the shadow of Carthage, Kairouan then Mahdia, it was finally designated as capital on September 20, 1159 (5 Ramadan 554 of the Muslim calendar). The existence of the locality is attested from the beginning of the 4th century BC. The region was conquered by Arab troops led by the Ghassanid general Hassan Ibn Numan in the 7th century because the city had a privileged position at the bottom of the gulf and at the crossroads of trade flows with Europe and its hinterland.

During the 16th century, Tunisia was one of the main theaters where the Spanish monarchy and the Ottoman Empire clashed. Having become an Ottoman province governed by a pasha appointed by the Ottoman sultan based in Constantinople, the country quickly achieved a certain autonomy (1591).

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