Medenine

Medenine: granaries

Medenine, also spelled Médenine or Madanīn, town located in southern Tunisia. Medenine lies in the semiarid plain of Al-Jifārah (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, and natural gas deposits are located at Al-Burmah (El-Borma) on the Algerian border. Pop. (2004) 61,705.