Nabeul was founded in the fifth century BC by the
Greeks of
Cyrene, serving as a trade port. Its present name is an
arabization of its
Greek name
Neapolis (, "New City"), which was
a common name of
Greek colonies. In Roman times, the city was an important trade hub for grain from North Africa to
Rome, and a centre for manufacture of
garum for Rome. '' On 21 July 365, a massive
tsunami hit the city from the
365 Crete earthquake, resulting in much destruction and leaving part of it underwater. During
antiquity, Neapolis was also the
seat of an ancient
Christian bishopric The
Bishopric was founded during the
Roman Empire and survived through the
arian Vandal and
Orthodox Byzantine empires, only ceasing to function with the
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. The
diocese was refounded in name at least in the twentieth century as a
titular see of the
Roman Catholic church. After the
Umayyad conquest of North Africa in the late 6th century and early 7th century, the city became part of the
Umayyad Caliphate, and later the
Abbasid Caliphate. Under
Ottoman rule, the town was known as
Nebil (). Due to its location by the
Mediterranean coast, it remains today a popular tourist destination and is the main centre of the Tunisian
pottery industry. == Climate ==