December 3, 856 Earthquake: Tunis, Tunisia

Name: December 3, 856 Earthquake: Tunis, Tunisia
Start: 0856-12-03
Location: Tunis, Tunisia

December 3, 856 · 45,000 deaths

An earthquake struck Tunis, Tunisia on December 3, 856. It killed 45,000 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: December 3, 856
Place: Tunis, Tunisia
Intensity: 10 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 36.800° N, 10.200° E
Country: Tunisia

The toll

Deaths: 45,000
Damage: Extreme (about $25 million or more)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

856, December 3-30 (AH 242 Sha'ban). Violent earthquakes. In Tunis about 45,000 persons were buried under the ruins. The shaking extended to Yemen, Khurasan region, Syria, Fars region, Bastam, Qom, Kashan, Shahr-Rey, Damghan, Ghirgan, Neyshabur, Taberistan, Esfahan and other places in Iran. Mountains were shattered, and the ground opened up in many places so extensively that it could easily swallow a man. In Yemen a mountain covered with cultivated land moved from its place and became the property of another tribe. Five stones fell from heaven in the village El-Suhd in Egypt; one of them, ten pounds of weight fell on the tent of a Bedouin and set it on fire. (reference #1098)

856, December. 45,000 victims buried under the ruins has Tunis; very vast extension. (reference #1201)

856, December. 36 deg 51 min N, 10 deg 14 min E, intensity X, Tunis. (reference #1193)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 856 The 800s Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 230.