The town endured brutal assaults by the Carthaginians, the Numidians, the Romans, and, later on, by the Vandals. The Numidian king Jugurtha made the town his governing headquarters. Originally the town was named Waga, which became Vacca and then Vaga under the Romans and eventually Baja under the Arabs and B�ja under the French.
The Romans destroyed the old Carthaginian citadel and replaced it with a new one; they built fortifications that are still standing today. Under the Roman domination, Beja became prosperous and was the center of a diocese. According to Sallust, who relates the details of the Jugurthine War between Jugurtha and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus to possess Beja, Beja was the wealthiest warehouse of the kingdom and the center of intense commerce.
The town was taken and destroyed by the Vandals. The citadel and ramparts were demolished. The abandoned town remained in that state for a century until the arrival of the Byzantines. They renovated the fortress and took real pleasure in beautifying the town.
After the Umayyad conquest of North Africa, the city became part of the Umayyad Caliphate.
In 1880 France occupied Tunisia. On April 24, 1881 Beja in its turn was occupied by the column led by Logerot who had arrived from Algeria through the Kef.
Beja remains a picturesque town with wide horizons, a healthy climate and rich and fertile soil. Another distinctive feature is its family life, its traditional friendliness and hospitality towards foreigners.
The renowned aristocratic families who owned most of the fertile lands were minimal such as the Soumer family and the Ben Chiboub family.
World War II
On November 16, 1942 a German military delegation came to our town to give our Mayor Jean Hugon a 24 hours ultimatum to surrender the town. As a reaction to the ultimatum the latter informed our civil governor Mr Clement who in turn sent the message to Algiers. The next day, November
