Tunis is remarkably close to the ancient city of Carthage. How did it come to overtake Carthage (and later Kairouan) as the major city of Tunisia following the Muslim Conquest?

by junkratmain

I’ve always wondered why Carthage never became a prominent city under Muslim rule the way it was during classical antiquity. It seems that the major cities of medieval Tunisia were Kairouan, Mahdia, and then later Tunis. I did read that Carthage was supposedly destroyed in the Muslim conquest, but I don’t know how true that is. The reason I’m asking is because I also read, not just on this sub but also from Theodore Ayrault Dodge, that one of the main reasons why Carthage grew in prominence was because of it’s strategic location, which was apparently great for trade and commerce. If this is the case, then why didn’t the advantages of Carthage’s location lead it to assume a more prominent position in Tunisia during the reign of the various Muslim dynasties that ruled in Tunisia?

The-Dmguy

Tunis is a very old settlement.The existence of the town is attested by sources dating from the 4th century BC. During that time it was a small berber town 13 km away from Carthage. However, it was noted for its very strategic location as Polybe said that Tunis “was well protected by nature and by man”. During the Arab conquest, the Arabs under the amir Hassan Ibn Nu’man were able to seize Carthage from the Byzantines. However the Arabs during then were more land-based than the Byzantines who had a powerful fleet. Even thought Carthage was, as you said, strategically important. It was vulnerable to naval attacks. So they chose Tunis which was sheltered from naval attacks.