Jellaz Cemetery ( ''Maqbara al-Jalāz''; also known as al-Jallaz and Cemetery Djalez) is a large hillside Muslim cemetery in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, Tunisia, established in the thirteenth century. Located next to the bus station, the cemetery is the largest in the city. The Borj Ali Rais Ottoman fortress is visible from most places in the cemetery. Visiting the cemetery is a duty during

Aid el Fitr In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...

at the end of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. Family members at this time clean and paint the tombs, which face

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

. In 1911, mass protests known as the

Jellaz Affair The Jellaz Affair ( ') () was a violent confrontation in November 1911 between Tunisian protesters and the authorities of the French Protectorate of Tunisia which began at the Jellaz Cemetery. Over the course of two days, it became a series of figh ...

demonstrations took place at the cemetery against the French, triggered by land registration and entitlement disputes. These in turn led to the Tunis Tram Boycott,. A bloody confrontation took place after the burial of the wife of an eager propagandist of naturalisation and resulted in the death of 39 people, nine of them French and five Italian.

Notable burials

Chokri Belaid Chokri Belaïd (; 26 November 1964 – 6 February 2013), also transliterated as Shokri Belaïd, was a Tunisian politician and lawyer who was an opposition leader with the left-secular Democratic Patriots' Movement. Belaïd was a vocal crit ...

(1954–2013), lawyer and politician * Moncef Bey (1881–1948), former Bey of Tunisia under French Rule *

Mohamed Brahmi Mohamed Brahmi (; 15 May 1955 – 25 July 2013) was a Tunisian politician. Brahmi was the founder and former leader of the People's Movement, which, under his leadership, won two seats in the constituent election in 2011. Early life and caree ...

(1955–2013), politician, founder and former leader of the People's Movement *

Beji Caid Essebsi Beji Caid Essebsi (or es-Sebsi; , ; 29 November 1926 – 25 July 2019) was a Tunisian politician who served as the fourth president of Tunisia from 31 December 2014 until his death on 25 July 2019. Previously, he served as minister of foreign af ...

(1926–2019), former

president of Tunisia The president of Tunisia, officially the president of the Republic of Tunisia (), is the executive head of state of Tunisia. The president exercises executive power with the assistance of a government headed by the Prime Minister of Tunisia, pr ...

Bahi Ladgham Bahi Ladgham (; 10 January 1913 – 13 April 1998) was a Tunisian politician who served as the Secretary of Presidency from 1957 to 1969 ( de facto prime minister) and the prime minister of Tunisia from 7 November 1969 to 2 November 1970. Biogra ...

(1913–1998), statesman *

Mongi Slim Mongi Slim (; September 15, 1908October 23, 1969) was a Tunisian diplomat who became the first African to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1961. He received a degree from the faculty of law of the University of Paris. ...

(1908–1969), diplomat * Abdelmajid Tlemçani (1937–2020), footballer

References

External links

* {{Find a Grave cemetery
Photograph
Religious buildings and structures in Tunis Cemeteries in Tunisia 13th-century establishments in Africa