History of Al Kaf City

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The old town of Al-Kaf was known in the ancient times as Sicca and was built around 500 BC by Carthage for providing protection to the western areas of this newly emerging empire . The old town was known for its temple prostitutes who hung out at its sanctuary to the goddess Astarte , goddess of Love . The sanctuary was then dedicated to Venus during the Roman times , ant hence the town was known as Sicca Veneria .

Sicca Veneria was at the centre of the Mercenaries’ War (or “Truceless War”) , when Carthage couldn't pay its mercenaries and a revolt was sparked by the unpaid mercenaries in the 3rd century BC . The revolt was then turned into a horrific four-year battle (inspiring Flaubert's novel Salammbo) . During the Roman Empire , Le Kel was also the stronghold of the Numidian king Jugurtha during the time of his rebellion against Rome .

After that the Vandals came followed by the Byzantines and then the Arabs , who took over the town in AD 688 and named it Shakbanaria (a deformed name of Sicca Veneria) . Rebellions were erupting against the central government in every opportu¬nity and until finally became autonomous after the Hilalian invasions of the 11th century . The Ottomans arrived in the 16th century who reformed the city by building its fortification , and then its controlling was handed to the Beni Cherif tribe . Ottomans The city prospered during the Ottoman era and this prosperity also continued under the beys started by Hussein ben Ali , who founded the Husseinite dynasty of Beys (1705-1957) .