Souk El Grana ( ar, سوق القرانة) is one of the

souks of Tunis The souks of Tunis are a set of shops and boutiques located in the medina of Tunis, capital of Tunisia. Most of the souks were built under the Hafsid dynasty in the 13th century and near the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. They are organized in several st ...

. Its name comes from the Granas (Jews from Livorno) who came to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

in the 17th century.

Location

This souk is located in the north 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 ...

, in the

Bab Souika , demolition_date=1861, coordinates= Bab Souika ( ar, باب سويقة) is one of the gates of the medina of Tunis. It was demolished in 1861. Its situation was between Bab El Khadra and Bab Saadoun Bab Saadoun ( ar, باب سعدون) is on ...

neighborhood and near 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

Although this souk existed before the arrival of the Jews from Livorno, it became bigger and better with them. During the 17th century, the Jews transformed this souk into an economic center in

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

. Agricultural products,

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

s, caravans, chachias,

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals i ...

, and many other products were sold in this market.

Architecture

The souk is covered by a barrel vault made from bricks. There is also a synagogue made from dimension stone that were taken from the ruins of Roman buildings in Tunis.

References

{{Portal, Africa Italian-Jewish culture in Tunisia Jews and Judaism in Tunis Grana