Long before Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs or French arrived, the Berbers had settled on the island. Most of the inhabitants today are Berbers, but their origin is still uncertain. According to mythology, Djerba was the home of the legendary Lotus Eaters from the Odyssey. However, the first certain visitors were the Phoenicians, who established a commercial settlement on the island. They were ruled out by Romans, who on their part built many villages as well as the Roman Causeway, connecting the island to the mainland, and who renamed the capital city Meninx in Girba, which was to become the today’s name of the Island: Djerba! The Romans used the favourable location of Djerba for slave caravans. After the end of the Roman Empire, Vandals, Byzantines and Arabs were fighting for the rule. After the Arab conquest in 666 AD, the population became Islamic, as it is today. In the 13th Century, Spaniards conquered Djerba but they were fought by Berbers. Soon, the island became a base for pirates; the most famous among them was the pirate Dragut. In 1550, the Spaniards started a major offensive but Dragut took revenge and killed 15,000 people. The Spaniards who were still in Houmt Souk had to capitulate and all 5,000 were beheaded. There is still a plaque on the beach of Houmt Souk where 5000 skulls of the Spanish were piled pyramid style. It was in 1881 that the French came to power and that the skull tower was smoothed out. After World War II, the struggle for independence came to the fore and on March 30, 1956 Tunisia became officially independent. The development of tourism began in the 60s and today Tunisia is still geared up for tourism.