Madrasa Asfouria ( ar, المدرسة العصفورية) is one of the

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

hs 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 ...

, which was constructed during the

Hafsid The Hafsids ( ar, الحفصيون ) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. who ruled Ifriqiya (western ...

era.

Location

The madrasa is located at an alley near

Souk El Attarine Souk El Attarine ( ar, سوق العطارين), or souk of spice traders, is the name by which most spice markets are referred to in Arab countries in the Middle East. Old cities ( Jerusalem, Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Tunis, Marrakach) were often ...

, between Madrasa Al Khaldounia and Madrasa Hamzia, hence creating a complex of madrasahs. It stands only a few meters from the

Al-Zaytuna Mosque Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque ( ar, جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning ''the Mosque of Olive''), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the o ...

History

It is built during the

era, at the same time as other madrasahs such as Madrasa Ech Chamaiya, Madrasa El Tawfikia, Madrasa El Mountaciriya and Madrasa El Unqiya. It is named after the scholar from

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

, who taught at the madrasa.

Scholars

Among its scholars, other than Ibn Asfur Ibn Ichbili, we can also name Sheikh Salah El Cherif before his departure to Damascus and the poet Muhammad Tahar Battikh.

Evolution

The madrasa was restored by the Association de sauvegarde de la médina de Tunis in 2000. Nowadays, it hosts the premises of five associations among which the Tunisian Association of Research and Studies on Tunisian Intellectual Heritage. Médersa Asfouria photo 5 المدرسة العصفورية.jpg, Inscription located at the entrance of the madrasa Medersa Asfouria Int.JPG, Patio of the madrasa

References

{{Coord missing, Tunisia Asfouria