Historical sites findings in Gafsa suggest a thriving civilization dating back to more than 15000 years.
Gafsa name comes from its Roman Mesolithic historic name Capsa. Capsa was found by the Romans in the second century B.C. The Roman pools, still used today, in Gafsa, are a testament to its old history. It was destroyed by the Romans in their campaign against Jugurtha, but would become an important Roman city, reflected in the beauty and size of the pools. The Roman influence was so strong that there are reports of African neolatin being spoken here as late as the 12th century.
Oqba Ibn Nafi conquered Gafsa in 688, however he faced resistance from the Berbers. Gafsa was converted to the Muslim and Arabic culture completely by the Bani Hilal in 1050. A large part of its inhabitants today are fom the Hmamma tribes decedents of the Bani Hilals.
In the second world war, Gafsa suffered heavy bombardment from the German/Italian & Allies armies and part of its Kasbah was destroyed.
Phosphate mines were discovered as early as 1886, and Gafsa today is home to one of the largest mines of phosphate in the world.
Gafsa has been a region with an active political voice all along its history, and various events have shaped its political contributions to the country across the various phases of modern Tunisia.
On Januar 27, 1980 a group of dissidents armed and trained by Libya occupied the city to contest the regime of Habib Bourguiba at the time. 48 people were killed in the battles.
In Januar 2008 Gafsa was the epicentre of a popular spontaneous uprising against the regime of of president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. While the government was swift and brutal in attempting to suppress the uprising, this movement is today credited for being the first seeds of the revolution that enabled the Tunisians to remove Zine El Abidine Ben Ali| from power and ignited the Arab spring in the rest of North Afirca and the Middle East and beyond
