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SUSA (Fr. Sousse)

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 162 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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SUSA (Fr. Sousse) , a See also:city of See also:Tunisia, on the Gulf of Hammamet, in 350 49 N., 10° 39' E., 36 m. by See also:rail E. by N. of See also:Kairawan, of which it is the See also:port, and 93 M. S. by E. by rail of See also:Tunis. Susa, which occupies See also:part of the site of the See also:ancient See also:Hadrumetum, is built on the See also:side of a See also:hill sloping seawards, and is surrounded by a crenellated See also:wall, strengthened by towers. Recesses in the inner side of the wall are used as shops and warehouses. The kasbah, or citadel, built on the highest point within the See also:town, was thoroughly restored by the See also:French after their occupation of the See also:country in 1881, and serves as military headquarters for the See also:district, the See also:camp for the troops being outside the walls See also:west of the citadel. The native town has been little changed since the French occupation, but See also:north of the port a See also:European See also:quarter has been created, and here are public buildings such as See also:law courts, a museum and a town-See also:hall. The museum contains many archaeological treasures, notable mosaics and sculptures. The most interesting buildings in the old town are the Kasrer-Ribat and the Kahwat-el-Kubba. The Kasr-er-Ribat is a square fortress with a high See also:tower and seven bastions. Its date is uncertain, but is not later than the 9th See also:century. The Kahwatel-Kubba (Cafe of the See also:Dome) is a curious See also:house, square at the See also:base, then cylindrical, and surmounted by a fluted dome.

It was probably a See also:

church during the See also:Byzantine See also:period. Another domed See also:building, now used as oil-See also:mills, See also:dates from See also:Roman and Byzantine times. In the Bab-el-Gharbi (West See also:Gate) a Roman See also:sarcophagus of See also:marble has been built into the wall, and serves as a drinking See also:fountain. The See also:grand See also:mosque is in the north-See also:east part of the town. The ancient harbours are silted up, but vestiges of the Roman breakwaters may be seen. The See also:modern port, completed in 1901, enables steamers See also:drawing 21 ft. to See also:lie at the quays. Exports are chiefly See also:phosphates and other minerals, See also:olive oil, See also:esparto and cereals; imports: See also:cotton goods, building material, &c. The See also:population, less than 10,000 at the See also:time of the French occupation, had increased in 1907 to over 25,000, of whom 1500 were French and 4000 other Europeans, chiefly Italians and Maltese. was educated for the Church, first at See also:Constance, then at See also:Cologne, where he came under the See also:influence of the greatest of the See also:German mystics, Meister Eckart. He subsequently entered a monastery in Constance, where he subjected himself to the severest ordeals of See also:asceticism. In 1335 he wandered through See also:Swabia as a preacher, and won all See also:hearts by his See also:gentle, persuasive eloquence; the effusive lyricism of his See also:language made him an especial favourite among the nuns. About 1348 he seems to have settled in See also:Ulm, where he died on the 25th of See also:January 1366. See also:Suso's first See also:work, Das Bitchlein der Wahrheit, was written in Cologne about 1329; setting out from Eckart's doctrines, he presents the mystic faith from its speculative or theoretical side; whereas is El Jem, the site of the city of Thysdrus.

Of the ancient city there are scarcely any remains See also:

save the See also:amphitheatre—a magnificent ruin scarcely inferior to that of the Colosseum in See also:Rome. There is nc See also:record of the building of the amphitheatre, which is usually assigned to the reign of See also:Gordian III. (A.D. 238-244). It is made of See also:limestone brought from Sallecta, 20 m. distant, bears See also:evidence of hasty construction, and was probably never finished. It is of four storeys—three open arcades crowned by a See also:fourth See also:storey with windows. The first and third arcades are Corinthian ; the See also:middle one Composite. Each of these galleries has sixty-four columns and the same number of See also:arches. Constantly used as a fortress since the Arab invasion, the amphitheatre suffered much, and in 1697 the See also:bey of Tunis made a See also:great See also:breach in its western end to prevent it being again used for See also:defence! But even in its See also:present See also:condition the amphitheatre—See also:standing solitary in a desolate district—is grandly impressive. Its See also:major See also:axis is 488 ft., its See also:minor axis 406 ft.

End of Article: SUSA (Fr. Sousse)

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SUSANNAH MARIA CIBBER (1714-1766)