MADANIN

also spelled Mdenine, town, southern Tunisia. The town lies in the semiarid plain of al-Jifarah (Jeffara). It was the capital of the Ouerghemma League of three Berber groups and was the chief town of the Southern Military Territories during the French Protectorate (18811955). 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 Qabis (Gabs), 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 Jarbah (Djerba) is nearby, and Tatawin (Tataouine), south of Madanin, is a starting point for trans-Saharan caravans. Oil fields, connected by pipeline with as-Sukhayrah (La Skhirra) on the Gulf of Gabes, and natural-gas deposits are located at al-Burmah (El-Borma) on the Algerian border. Pop. (1989 est.) town, 33,131.