Medenine

▪ Tunisia

also spelled  Médenine  or  Madanīn 

      town located in southern Tunisia. Medenine lies in the semiarid plain of Al-Jifārah (Jifārah, al-) (Jeffara). It was the capital of the Ouerghemma League of three Amazigh ( Berber) groups and was the chief town of the Southern Military Territories during the French protectorate (1881–1955). The honeycomb-like aboveground granaries (ghorfas) that belonged to the Ouerghemma are features of the locality. The town is now a trade centre for dates, olives, cereals, and esparto grass and is a road hub with links to Gabès (Qābis), 40 miles (64 km) northwest.

      The inhabitants of the surrounding area include seminomadic shepherds and cave-dwelling cultivators of grains, olives, figs, and date palms. The densely populated Mediterranean island of Jerba (Jarbah) is nearby, and Tataouine (Taṭāwīn), south of Medenine, is a starting point for trans-Saharan caravans. Oil fields, connected by pipeline with La Skhira (Al-Ṣukhayrah) on the Gulf of Gabes (Gabes, Gulf of), and natural gas deposits are located at Al-Burmah (El-Borma) on the Algerian border. Pop. (2004) 61,705.

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