During the Second World War Ben Gardane Airfield was used by the 57th Fighter Group, which flew P-40 Warhawks from the airfield from 9 to 21 March 1943 during the Eighth Army advance into Tunisia from Libya, to which the 57th was attached. It was also used by Spitfires from the 601 Squadron RAF.
The town belongs to the governorate of Medenine. Located 423 km - 559 km by road - from Tunis, it is the city furthest from the capital.
It is the last major city in the governorate of Medenine with total population estimated at 79,912 inhabitants in 2014. It is located 32 kilometers from the Tunisian-Libyan border.
It is best known both in Tunisia and Libya as a trade road and an open exchange market. Tunisians take advantage of the availability and variety of the goods existing in the shops. The great amount of these goods are basically imported from Libya and deemed less expensive.
It is distinguished for its large population of dromedaries estimated at 15,000 head. An annual festival devoted to them during the month of June.
In March 2016, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya attacked the town in the Battle of Ben Guerdane.
According to "The Washington Post", "hundreds of young men have left Ben Guerdane over the past three decades to wage jihad in Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia, radicalized in part by a repressive regime that persecuted Islamists".
The leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi famously said of Ben Gardane, "if it was located next to Fallujah, we would have liberated Iraq."
There is a mixture of Berbers and Arabs, who from the "Twazin" tribal alliance which took place centuries ago as a tribal defense shield against the invasion, especially from the east towards Libya. There is no historical record as to the date of the establishment of this alliance but the inhabitants of Bengardane still have this bond and are said to be proud of the alliance. Beside the "Twazin", there are other large tribes such as Jelidat, Rabai'a which have participated in shaping the heritage, culture and way of life in Bengardane .
Chenda
The Chanda (Malayalam: ചെണ്ട, [tʃeɳʈa]) is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as "chende". It is greatly identified as a cultural element in Kerala.
This instrument is famous for its loud and rigid sound. A Chenda has two sides, the left side called "Edamthala" (ഇടം തല)(Left Head) and the right side "Valamthala" (വലം തല)(Right Head). The "Edamthala" is made of only one/two layer of cow skin and the "Valamthala" will have a five/seven layer skin, so as to have a bass sound. The skin are dried in the shade and fastened on wooden rings (Chenda Vattam, ചെണ്ട വട്ടം) made of the trunk of a locally available palm tree (Eeranpana) or bamboo, using a gum prepared from the seed of a tree called "pananchi maram". The circular frame is kept in a vessel, boiled for an entire day and then bent in the form of circle and dried. The body of the Chenda which is 1 ft in diameter and 1.5 inches thickness is made of the soft wood of the jackfruit tree (വരിക്ക പ്ലാവ്) (Varikka Plavu). The thickness is again reduced by 0.25 inches, at simultaneous points separated by 4 inches. This is done in order to produce highly resonating sound. Only the wooden rings with the skin (Chenda Vattam) is replaced once the quality of the sound is not up to the mark. For regular Chenda artists an average of 15 rings are required every year.
The Chenda is mainly played in Hindu temple festivals and as an accompaniment in the religious art forms of Kerala. The chenda is used as an accompaniment for Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Kannyar Kali, Theyyam and among many forms of dances and rituals in Kerala. It is also played in a dance-drama called Yakshagana (Tenku Thittu) which is popular in Tulu Nadu in Karnataka. There is a variant of this instrument used in northern school of Yakshagana called Chande. It is traditionally considered to be an "Asura Vadyam" ((demonic instrument)) which means it cannot go in harmony. Chenda is an inevitable musical instrument in all form of cultural activities in Kerala.
In Kerala the craft of making Chenda is now associated with some few "Perumkollan" (smith) families at Peruvembu, Nemmara, Lakkidi, Vellarkad and Valappaya villages. Many famous Chenda percussionists in Kerala make their Chendas from Vellarkad village for it is famous for the quality of the instrument.
Malindi
Malindi is a town lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa.
Malindi has a tropical savanna climate ("As" in the Köppen climate classification). The area shows classic examples of Swahili architecture. Malindi developed as part of Swahili Civilization in the 5th–10th centuries.
The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama met Malindi authorities in 1498 to sign a trade agreement and hire a guide for the voyage to India, when he erected a coral pillar.
During World War II Malindi was one of only two towns in East Africa bombed by the Italians. This happened on 24 October 1940.
After the World War II Malindi began developing into a resort.
Malindi is home to the Malindi Airport and Broglio Space Centre (the previous San Marco Equatorial Range).
Novel "“MALI D’AFRICA”" (by Sara Cardelli) describes the impossible love in Malindi.
Most of the events in the novel "“Our Wild Sex in Malindi”" (by Andrei Gusev) take place in Malindi and Lamu. The novel describes a few years living in Malindi russian writer Andy and his wife, Jennifer, who was born in Kenya.
Song "“Yasoi Malindi”" by Yasoy Kala Kana.
Wymbritseradiel
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In 2019, 45,181 people lived there.
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Montgomery County, Virginia