Aryanah

Ariana (Arabic: أريانة‎ Ariana) is a coastal city in north-eastern Tunisia, part the agglomeration of Tunis, also called "Grand Tunis". It is located at the north of Tunis city center, around 36°51′45″N 10°11′44″E. It is the capital of Ariana Governorate and the country's eighth largest city.

Ariana أريانة
City
Street in the center of Ariana
Ariana Location in Tunisia
Coordinates: 36°51′45″N 10°11′44″E
Country	Tunisia
Governorate	Ariana
Government
Area
• Total	209 sq mi (542 km2)
Population  (2014[1])
• Total	114,486
Time zone	UTC1 (CET)

The city's name seems to date back to the period of the Vandal Kingdom in pre-Islamic North Africa: the Vandals, in fact, were of Arian faith. It could also be a reference to Persian settlers from the Islamic invasion of the Maghreb as Persians refer to themselves as "Aryan".

The city's origins date back to the Zirid dynasty. Under the Hafsid sultan Muhammad I al-Mustansir, Ariana became the residence of the Sephardi Jews and Muslim Andalusians, who sought refuge in Ifriqiya in the thirteenth century.