Dar Ben Ayed is an old palace of the

medina of Tunis The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from ...

. It is located in the Ben Ayed Street in Bab Jedid, near

Tourbet el Bey The Tourbet el Bey ( ar, تربة الباي) is a Tunisian royal mausoleum in the southwest of the medina of Tunis.Souk Es Sabbaghine Souk Es Sabbaghine (English: Dyers market) is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis. Location The souk is situated at the outskirts of the medina, far from the center where the Al-Zaytuna Mosque is situated, since dyeing is considered a pol ...

. It is indexed as one of the big residences of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, in the inventory of Jacques Revault, member of the Middle East and Mediterranean Studies Research Group.

History

The palace was built at the end of the 18th century by the

qaid Qaid ( ar , قائد ', "commander"; pl. '), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "commander" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman kingdom of Sicily, applied to palatine officials and members of the ''curia'', usually to those ...

Rajeb Ben Ayed. Many members of his family intervened in the construction like his brother the qaid Hmida Ben Ayed, the ambassador and advisor Mohamed Ben Ayed, and his son, the qaid Abderrahmane Ben Ayed, with the help of

Rashid al-Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a Shakir Sahib al-Taba'a ( ar, شاكير صاحب الطابع; born c. 1790–11 September 1837),Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental'', vol. VIII, éd. Maison tunisienne de l' ...

, the main minister during the reign of Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud. The general Rachid Ben Abdallah Al Hanafy bought the palace and kept it under his possession until his execution by

Muhammad III as-Sadiq Muhammad III as-Sadiq ( ar, محمد الثالث الصادق; 7 February 1813 – 27 October 1882) commonly known as Sadok Bey ( ar, الصادق باي), was the Husainid Bey of Tunis from 1859 until his death. Invested as Bey al-Mahalla (He ...

in 1867. On 18 March 1999, the residence got classified as an historical monument.

Architecture

The palace has many apartments, common parts, indoor gardens, rooms for supplies (''makhzens''), and an oratory. The decoration is an association of the traditional and Italian styles with white

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, painted wooden ceilings and Italian

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major a ...

. * First part: Huge ''makhzens'', spacious vestibules (''driba''), an

oil mill An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

, a floor for hosts (''sraya'') and some big reception rooms separated by a beautiful hall; * Second part: a big

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

divided into alcoves, a garden, a resting room (''kushk''), three suites and a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

; * Third part: the master house, a floor for hosts, ''makhzens'' and stables; * Fourth part: ground floor with a first floor, a floor for hosts and ''makhzens''.

References

{{Coord missing, Tunisia Ben Ayed