Souk Ech-Chaouachine is one of the
souks 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 ...
. Divided into three parts, it is specialized in
chachia trading.
History
According to the chronicler Al Wazir Al Sarraj,
Mohamed Bey El Mouradi Mohamed Bey El Mouradi (died October 14, 1696) was a Muradid leader and Bey of Tunis from 1686 until his death.Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 76Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 83 He was the eldest son of Murad II Bey.Ibn Abi Dhiaf, ''op. cit'', p. 60 ...
ordered the construction of the souk in 1691–1692, following the great push that
Moorish migrant artisans gave to
chachia production and trading at the beginning of the 17th century.
The chachia artisans, called ''chaouachis'', were mainly of
Andalusian origins,
and initiated from the start one of the most important artisan
guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
s in the country. Their profit generating business was practiced exclusively in Tunis, and followed an important production process and artisan hierarchy, headed by an ''amine'', as all other traditional crafts.
Location
The souk is divided into three parts: Souk El Hafsi on
Kasbah
A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...
Street, Small and Great Chaouachine Souks both located between
Sidi Ben Arous Street and
Souk El Bey
Souk El Bey is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis.
Location
The souk is near Souk El Berka, Souk Ech-Chaouachine as well as Dar El Bey, which is where the government center is located.
History
Initiated by Hammuda ibn Ali, it is sp ...
,
near
Dar El Bey.
Products
As its name indicates, Souk Ech-Chaouachine is specialized in the production and selling of chachia, a boiled wool red colored men's headwear, with blue or black glans to make it more luxurious.
Chachia production requires more than two months which includes several steps from crochet all the way to finishing; only the dying and the finishing production steps are executed at the souk.
At the chachia workshops situated within Souk Ech-Chaouachine, artisans and apprentices sit on wooden benches leaning on workshop walls, the master artisans sitting behind a counter to meet customers.
Notes and references
External links
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{{Coord missing, Tunisia
Chaouachine