France, Arles

Arles is a city in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, of which it is a sous-préfecture, in the former province of Provence.

Geography

The Rhône river divides itself in two arms in Arles, forming the Camargue delta. Because the Camargue is administratively part of Arles, the latter is the largest commune in France in terms of territory, although its population is only slightly more than 50,000. Its area is 759 km², which is seven times the area of Paris.

History

Arles is an extremely ancient town, having been established by the Greeks as early as the 6th century BC under the name of Theline. It was captured by the Celtic Saluvii in 535 BC, who renamed it to Arelate.

Economy

Arles is the center of a large agricultural area, and other household products as well as clothing are sold at the street market that occurs on the Boulevard des Lices every Saturday.

Sights

Important remains of Roman times include the ancient theater, the arena or amphitheater, and the Alyscamps (Roman necropolis). They have been listed as World Heritage Sites since 1981.

The town also has an outstanding museum of ancient history, with one of the best collections of Roman sarcophagi to be found anywhere outside Rome itself.

Miscellaneous

A famous photography festival takes place in Arles every year, and the French national school of photography is located there. The major French publishing house Actes Sud is also situated in Arles.

Jeanne Calment (1875-1997), the oldest human being whose age is documented, was born, lived and died in Arles.

Current French international football star Djibril Cissé was born in Arles.