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 fr ...

, 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 (wester ...

era.

Location

The madrasa is located at an alley near Souk El Attarine, 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 The Shamma'iya Madrasa ( ar, مدرسة الشماعية, translit=Madrasa ash-Shamma'iya) is a historic madrasa of the Medina of Tunis. Location It is located in Al Madrasa Ech Chamaiya alley near souk Echammaine, which later became Souk El Bl ...

, Madrasa El Tawfikia, Madrasa El Mountaciriya and

Madrasa El Unqiya Madrasa El Unqiya ( ar, المدرسة العنقية) is one of the madrasahs of the medina of Tunis. Localization It is located in Onk El Jamal Street in the Medina of Tunis. History It was built in 1333 era under the orders of the siste ...

. 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 Peninsul ...

, 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 The Association de sauvegarde de la médina de Tunis (Association for the protection of the medina of Tunis) was established in 1967 to conserve the Medina quarter in the old heart of Tunis. Its mission is "to strive for the conservation and protect ...

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