The souks of Tunis are a set of shops and boutiques located in 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 ...

, capital of

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

. Most of the

souk 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 ...

s were built under the

Hafsid dynasty 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 (weste ...

in the 13th century 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 ...

. They are organized in several streets and alleys.

Souk Ech-Chaouachine

The three souks that form the souk Ech-Chaouachine were built by the Muradid sovereign Mohamed Bey El Mouradi in 1691–1692. At that time, Andalusian immigrants imported the chachia production technique.

Souk El Attarine

Built in 1240 by 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 ...

sovereign

Abu Zakariya Yahya Abu Zakariya Yahya (, Abu Zakariya Yahya I ben Abd al-Wahid (12031249) was the founder and first sultan of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya. He was the grandson of Sheikh Abu al-Hafs, the leader of the Hintata and second in command of the Almohads ...

, the souk El Attarine or souk of perfumers is the oldest souk of Tunis. It is located just behind the

. When this souk was built, nobles and business owners were the only ones with the right to do this job. Therefore, it was considered one of the finest. Fragrances compounds of rare and valuable species were sold, there was also

incense Incense is aromatic biotic material that releases fragrant smoke when burnt. The term is used for either the material or the aroma. Incense is used for aesthetic reasons, religious worship, aromatherapy, meditation, and ceremony. It may also ...

from

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast an ...

, as well as some cosmetics.

Souk El Berka

Built in 1612 by Yusuf Dey, the souk El Berka is the old souk of black slaves in Tunis. This souk became later the souk of jewelers. This souk has a square form, with a wooden platform in the middle which was the place where slaves were presented and waited for the outcome of the sale. Potential buyers were sitting on benches around the souk and participated in the

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition e ...

. The

white slaves White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans (such as West Asians and North Africans), or by other Europeans (for example naval galley slaves or the Vikings' th ...

, considered the rarest and most valuable, were not sold in the souk but in more remote locations because the sale concerned only wealthy potential buyers. The abolition of slavery in Tunisia was declared by

Ahmad I ibn Mustafa Ahmed I ( ar, أبو العباس أحمد باشا باي), born 2 December 1805 in TunisIbn Abi Dhiaf, ''Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental'', vol. IV, éd. Maison tunisienne de l'édition, ...

in 1846 and caused the transformation of the souk into souk of jewelers specializing in silverware.

Souk El Bey

The souk El Bey was founded by Hammuda ibn Ali. It is located between the Kasbah of Tunis and the souk El Berka. The souk is now specializing in the sale of

precious metal Precious metals are rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical elements of high economic value. Chemically, the precious metals tend to be less reactive than most elements (see noble metal). They are usually ductile and have a high lu ...

Souk El Blaghgia

The souk El Blaghgia was founded by

in the early 18th century. It is located between souk El Attarine and the Kasbah Street. This souk is specialized in the sale of balghas, a shoe made from leather.

Souk El Blat

The souk El Blat specializes in the sale of

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ...

. The number of sellers decreased significantly with the growth of modern medicine.

Souk El Fekka

The souk El Fekka is located directly in front of the

, near the souk El Attarine. It sells ingredients necessary to prepare cakes for various celebrations such as

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Topic ...

, marriage or Eid al-Fitr.

Souk El Grana

The souk El Grana is located in the northern suburb of the medina, in the district of Bab Souika. It has been marked by ''

Granas The history of the Jews in Livorno (Leghorn in English, Liorne or Liorna in Ladino), Italy has been documented since 1583, when descendants of the late 15th-century expulsions from Spain and Portugal settled in the city. They were settled ini ...

'',

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

settled in

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

from Livorno in the early 17th century. The souk hosts the sale of

linens Linens are fabric household goods intended for daily use, such as bedding, tablecloths, and towels. "Linens" may also refer to church linens, meaning the altar cloths used in church. History The earliest known household linens were made fr ...

, silks, fabrics, garments and

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

Souk El Kébabgia

Souk El Kebabjia Souk El Kebabjia ( ar, سوق الكبابجية) is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis. It is specialized in the trading of traditional clothing accessories. Its craftsmen are specialized in ''kbaïeb'', plural ''kobba'' (silk and cotton ya ...

is located west of

, in parallel to Souk El Berka and close to Souk El Trouk from one end and to Souk Es Sekajine from the other end. It is specialized in the traditional clothing accessories.

Souk El Kmach

The

souk El Kmach Souk El Kmach ( ar, سوق القماش) or the fabrics market is one of the most important souks of the medina of Tunis. It is the place where fabrics and tissues are sold, whether they are made in Tunisia or luxury products especially imported ...

or souk of textile, was founded in the 15th century by the

sovereign

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish language, Turkish and Persian language, Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and nota ...

. It is located on the western facade of the

Souk El Koutbiya

The souk El Koutbiya was built by Abu l-Hasan Ali I in 1750. It is specialized in selling books.

Souk El Leffa

The

souk El Leffa Souk El Leffa ( ar, سوق اللَفة), also called Souk of Djerbians, is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis. It is called as such because it was mainly occupied by merchants from the Tunisian island of Djerba. Location The souk is situa ...

, also called Souk of Djerbians, is known for the sale of

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

products through merchants from the 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 ...

. Artisans also make the traditional

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 ...

(a traditional outfit for women).

Souk El Nissa

El Nissa means Women in Arabic. This souk is located at the south of

, near the souk of wool. Women used to come to buy and sell goods.

Souk El Trouk

The name of the souk El Trouk is much debated, but there is an agreement that the word comes from ''tourk'' (Turkish) in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

with ''trouk'', the word for

Antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

(''tirka''). This souk was built in 1620 by Yusuf Dey. It is located between the

and the centers of Ottoman power, the Kasbah and Dar El Bey. It was dedicated to Turkish customers and craftsmen; Turkish craftsmen were replaced gradually by Jewish craftsmen. This souk is now the place where items like flea markets and antiques are sold.

Souk En Nhas

Built under the

, the souk En Nhas or souk of copper is specialized in the sale of copper utensils. It is located between the souk El Grana and the Kasbah Street.

Souk Es Sabbaghine

The souk Es Sabbaghine, or souk of Dyers, is located on the outskirts of the medina, far away from the

because

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particu ...

is considered a polluting activity. The denomination Es Sabbaghine or ''Dyers'' originates from the dyeing of

, cotton and silk. Today, the souk sells a variety of products, especially ready-to-wear

clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

and shoes, but also fish and meat.

Souk Es Sarragine

Souk Es Sarragine or Souk Es Sekajine is situated west of

and east of Bab Menara gate. It is specialized in leather goods, saddles, and horse harnesses.

Notes and references

External links

Presentation of souks (Municipality of Tunis)
* Virtual visit o
souk El Attarinesouk El Berkasouk Ech-Chaouachinesouk El Fekkasouk El Blatsouk En Nhas
an
souk El Trouk
{{Souks of Tunis * Society of Tunisia