Souk El Leffa ( ar, سوق اللَفة), also called Souk of Djerbians, is one of the

souks A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in the W ...

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 called as such because it was mainly occupied by merchants from the Tunisian island of

Djerba Djerba (; ar, جربة, Jirba, ; it, Meninge, Girba), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. It had a population of 139,544 ...

Location

The souk is situated at the heart of the medina of Tunis, next to 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 ...

. It continuous towards Souk Es Sekajine, constructed in the early 18th century and specialized today in selling leather crafts.

History

Its construction was initiated by

Yusuf Dey Yusuf Dey (c.1560 in Tripoli – 1637 at Tunis) was Dey of Tunis from 1610 until his death. Biography Son of Mustapha El Turki, an Ottoman Turkish soldier stationed at Tripoli, he took up a post in the militia of Tunis. He was recognised b ...

in the first half of the 17th century as part of an architectural complex resulting in an urban rehabilitation of 200 meters between the Al-Zaytuna Mosque and the

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 ...

. It is famous for its wool products trading thanks to merchants from the island of

who mainly trade wool woven products from their island and surrounding regions, especially

Gafsa Gafsa ( aeb, ڨفصة '; ar, قفصة qafṣah), originally called Capsa in Latin, is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. It lends its Latin name to the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 111,170, Gafsa is the ninth-la ...

Tozeur Tozeur ( ar, توزر, ; ber, ⵜⵓⵣⴻⵔ, Tuzər) is a city in southwest Tunisia. The city is located northwest of Chott el Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el Gharsa. It is the capital of Tozeur Governorate. It was the ...

and

Djerid el-Djerid, also al-Jarīd, ( ar, الجريد; Derja: ''Jerīd''; ) or more precisely the South Western Tunisia Region is a semi-desert natural region comprising three southern Tunisian Governorates, Gafsa, Kebili and Tozeur with adjacent parts ...

. Some craftsmen also weave

sefseri The safseri ( aeb, سفساري), sometimes also spelled sefseri, safsari or sefsari, is a traditional Tunisian veil worn by women. Composition The safseri is composed of a large piece of cloth covering the whole body. It usually has a cream c ...

at this souk.

Architecture

The souk is covered with barrel vaults made of bricks, with small openings which bring light and ventilation. At this souk, shops are raised about a meter in height by means of plates, which allows visitors and buyers to communicate better with merchants and to observe their goods. This souk is known to be calm comparing to other souks of Tunis.

Evolution

Founded by Ottomans in the 17th century, being one of their first souks marking a new era in the

history of Tunisia The present day Republic of Tunisia, ''al-Jumhuriyyah at-Tunisiyyah'', is situated in Northern Africa. Geographically situated between Libya to the east, Algeria to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the north. Tunis is the capital and th ...

, its main activities today are the trading of various products such as textiles, bed covers, clothing, shoes and handicraft products.

Notes and references

{{Portal, Africa Leffa