Sidi Bou Said

Sidi Bou Said Sidi Bou Said is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from the capital, The town itself is considered as a tourist attraction

Sidi Bou Said (Tunisian Arabic: سيدي بو سعيد About this sound Sīdi Bū Sɛīd) a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from the capital, Tunis. Named for a religious figure who lived there, Abou Said ibn Khalef ibn Yahia Ettamini el Beji (previously it was called Jabal el-Menar). The town itself is a tourist attraction and is known for its extensive use of blue and white. Souvenirs can be bou

ght in the main street. It can be reached by a TGM train, which runs from Tunis to La Marsa. Sidi Bou Said has a reputation as a town of artists. Artists who have lived in or visited Sidi Bou Said include Paul Klee, Gustave-Henri Jossot, August Macke and Louis Moillet. Tunisian artists in Sidi Bou Said are members of École de Tunis (painting school of Tunis), such as Yahia Turki, Brahim Dhahak and Ammar Farhat. French philosopher Michel Foucault lived there for a number of years while teaching at the University of Tunis. In the 12th century/13th century AD Abu Said Ibn Khalaf Yahya al-Tamimi al-Beji arrived in the village of Jabal el-Menar and established a sanctuary. After his death in 1231, he was buried there. In the 18th century Turkish governors of Tunis and wealthy citizens of the latter built residences in Sidi Bou Said. During the 1920s, Rodolphe d'Erlanger applied the blue-white theme all over the town. His home, Ennejma Ezzahra, is now a museum. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidi_Bou_Said

18/12/2015

What a day !

Enjoy your dinner
18/12/2015

Enjoy your dinner

Have a nice day
18/11/2015

Have a nice day

Delicacies: the famous BambaloniSome inhabitants of Tunis come to Sidi Bou Saïd with the sole purpose of enjoying a bamb...
16/11/2015

Delicacies: the famous Bambaloni

Some inhabitants of Tunis come to Sidi Bou Saïd with the sole purpose of enjoying a bambaloni while contemplating the bay of Tunis with friendls or a loved one. It is often difficult to resist eating a second one.

Sweets;
16/11/2015

Sweets;

Cafés:Drink the traditional pine nuts tea or a Kaouha (coffee), an ice-cold lemonade, strawberry or orange juices.
16/11/2015

Cafés:
Drink the traditional pine nuts tea or a Kaouha (coffee), an ice-cold lemonade, strawberry or orange juices.

Food:Tunisian salad, egg brick, tajine or couscous: the various flavors of the Tunisian cuisine.
16/11/2015

Food:

Tunisian salad, egg brick, tajine or couscous: the various flavors of the Tunisian cuisine.

Ironworks:Wrought iron is an art well mastered by Tunisian craftsmen. The practice goes back to the Andalusian period.Be...
16/11/2015

Ironworks:

Wrought iron is an art well mastered by Tunisian craftsmen. The practice goes back to the Andalusian period.
Besides the search for aesthetics, it also serves as an obstacle against intrusions.
Volutes and spirals are the main forms of Tunisian ironworks.

Moucharabiehs:Composed of wooden parts, geometrically assembled, moucharabiehs protect windows and balconies from the su...
16/11/2015

Moucharabiehs:

Composed of wooden parts, geometrically assembled, moucharabiehs protect windows and balconies from the sun and the strong heat of summer. The moucharabieh is built around windows or balconies in the Arabic or Southern European buldings and allows ventilating the room it decorates.

By blocking the light and channeling the air towards water-filled jars so it cools down before entering the room, moucharabiehs are the air conditioners of past. They encase windows, loggias and balconies in hot countries. One can also find them in Southern Spain, in Egypt or in Turkey.

Behind moucharabiehs, women could look at the city life without being exposed to the view by passers-by as the Islamic tradition demands.
he moucharabieh is equipped with panels that are opened more or less during the day.

Decorated doors:From modest entrances to that of palaces, doors are often decorated, painted in blue and decorated with ...
16/11/2015

Decorated doors:
From modest entrances to that of palaces, doors are often decorated, painted in blue and decorated with nails.
The tradition of nail-decorated doors was partly introduced by the Andalusians. The Tunisians mastered this art and, in Sidi bou Saïd, these painted doors became one of the characteristic decorative elements.

The main door is the external image of the house and its inoccupants. It must have an harmonious and elegant aesthetic. The materials it is made of have to be of choice. The door also marks the border between the public and the private domains.
The refinement of the nail drawings reveals the social standing of the inoccupants.

The drawings are vertically symmetrical from one door to the other. At the top of doors a semi-circular arch is often painted in black and white. The general frame in itself is made of ochre stones.

Sidi bou Saïd, city of writers and artists;From the XIXth century on, Sidi Bou Saïd attracted numerous artists, musician...
16/11/2015

Sidi bou Saïd, city of writers and artists;

From the XIXth century on, Sidi Bou Saïd attracted numerous artists, musicians and writers such as Chateaubriand, Gustave Flaubert, Alphonse de Lamartine, André Gide, Colette and Simone de Beauvoir. Michel Foucault wrote l'Archéologie du Savoir there

A Modern City:The city of Sidi Bou Said today counts a population of 4800 inhabitants.Sidi Bou Said is an important tour...
16/11/2015

A Modern City:

The city of Sidi Bou Said today counts a population of 4800 inhabitants.

Sidi Bou Said is an important touristic center, it is one of the most visited sites around the Mediterranean Sea and welcomes up to 100 000 guests a day during the weekends and in summer.

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Carthage
2026

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