2008 Vol. 62 · No. 2· 129–141 REVITALIZING THE MEDINA OF TUNIS AS A NATIONAL SYMBOL ANTON ESCHER and MARIANNE SCHEPERS With 2 tables and 2 supplements (II, III) Received 07 May 2007 · Accepted 26 October 2007 Summary: Many Arab old towns in Maghreb and in South West Asia have been gripped by a fundamental and dynamic urban renewal during the 20th century. While the renewal process in most old towns can be attributed to global dynamics, the actors involved in the old town of Tunis are almost exclusively from a local and national level. This paper aims to highlight the processes and strategies for revitalizing the old town of Tunis, to analyse its motives and explain why the renewal proc- ess is spurred by local interest instead of global dynamics. For instance, the medina serves primarily as a national symbol. The symbolic significance of the old town of Tunis in terms of establishing identity coincides with the strategies of a state- funded revitalization process and increasing efforts to showcase the old town. Zusammenfassung: Zahlreiche arabische Altstädte im Maghreb und in Vorderasien wurden im 20. Jahrhundert von einer grundlegenden Dynamik der Erneuerung erfasst. Während in den meisten Altstädten die Erneuerungsprozesse auf eine globale Dynamik zurückzuführen sind, finden sich im Fall der Altstadt von Tunis die Akteure fast ausschließlich auf lokaler und nationaler Ebene. Dieser Artikel zielt darauf ab, die Prozesse und Strategien der Revitalisierung der Altstadt von Tunis aufzuzeigen, ihre Hintergründe zu analysieren und herauszuarbeiten, warum der Erneuerungsprozess einem lokalen Inter- esse statt einer globalen Dynamik geschuldet ist. Dabei steht die Medina als nationales Symbol im Vordergrund. Die sym- bolische Bedeutung der Altstadt von Tunis in Bezug auf die Identitätsbildung geht einher mit den Strategien einer staatlich geförderten Revitalisierung und einer zunehmenden Inszenierung der Altstadt. Keywords: Urban development, urban geography, Arab old town, Maghreb, identity, revitalization, mise-en-scène, Tunisia, medina. Introduction In 1979, together with the old towns of Damascus and Cairo, the medina of Tunis was one of the first Planning and preserving the old town of Tunis Arab old towns to be designated by UNESCO as a has been a topic of national interest in Tunisia and World Heritage Site. The medina of Tunis can be re- has attracted the attention from the western world garded as the best, scientifically researched Arab old since the mid-20th century. For instance, in 1967, town. There are a wide variety of studies performed the Association de Sauvegarde de la Médina de by European, American and Arab architects, urban Tunis (ASM), a society for protecting the old town planners, geographers and sociologists, that not only of Tunis, which focuses on furthering scientific re- deal with the structural situation but also with the search, preserving and ensuring a sustainable revi- society of the medina. In addition to that, studies talization of the technical infrastructure and tra- are also available on the economic and social situ- ditional residential quarter of the old town, was ation of the medina. Noteworthy examples include founded at the suggestion of the mayor of Tunis.1) papers by ECKERT (1970), REVAULT (1980, 1983), ZANNAD BOUCHARA (1984, 1995), WAGNER (1996), LARGUÈCHE (1999) and ZEGHLACHE (2004). There 1) The Association de Sauvegarde de la Médina de Tunis are also extensive scientific studies, which focus on (ASM) carries out research, planning, development and res- the historical and urban planning perspectives of the toration projects etc. together with the city council of Tunis old town of Tunis, such as the works of DAOULATLI (Muncipalité), the Agence de réhabilitation et de rénovation urbaine (ARRU) and the Ministry of Tourism und Culture, in particu- (1976), HAKIM (1986), WOODFORT (1988) and SebaG lar the subsection of the Institute Nationale du Patrimoine (INP). (1959, 2000). MCGUINNESS (1997) provides an excel- DOI: 10.3112/erdkunde.2008.02.03 ISSN 0014-0015 http://www.giub.uni-bonn.de/erdkunde 130 Vol. 62· No. 2 lent analysis of the interaction between politics, ur- Formen (CASSIRER 1994), it plays an integral role in ban planning and ideology taking the old town of the shaping and understanding of life-world reality Tunis as an example. for the people of Tunisia; as a symbol the medina Just 12 years ago, GANGLER and RIbbeCK (1994) of Tunis lends identity (SCHwemmeR 2006). It speaks asked a question, which actually applied to almost for itself and unites the people of Tunisia “against all old towns of the Arab culture area: “Is it possible all rationality” (SOEFFNER 2004, 165). This symbolic to save the medina still?” Nearly every old town in meaning of Tunis’ medina did not always exist, how- North Africa and Near East seemed to be falling ever. Instead it evolved over the course of various inevitably into disrepair. Since then, the situation has ideological attributions and processes. The medina of changed considerably. Many Arab old towns are Tunis was established by Arab tribes, which settled no longer abandoned to decay slowly but are now at the location of the old Tunes after conquering the gripped by dynamic renewal. That is especially true region during the 7th century AD. Historically speak- for towns and cities in Morocco and Syria. In the ing, the significance of the city of Tunis began to old town of Marrakesh, for instance, residential flourish in the mid-12th century, when Tunis was the buildings are being bought primarily by Europeans capital of Ifriquia (SebaG 2000, 631). The identity of and renovated and frequently used as guesthouses the city and country is established after the mid-16th (ESCHER et al. 2001). An improvement that is now century, when the rulers of the city lay claim to dom- defining the old town of Damascus is the opening ination over the country. The name of the city Tunis of restaurants for international guests (ESCHER is extended to the entire country (SebaG 2000, 633f.). 2001). The renewal processes described are usually During the French protectorship of Tunisia, a “sec- part of global contexts; the predominantly tourism- ond”, new westernized city, inhabited by Europeans oriented use ensures the preservation of buildings and referred to as ville nouvelle or ville européenne, started and structures and contributes to transforming to evolve as of 1881 right next to the medina2). This the given infrastructure and character of the old city, which is different in morphological, functional towns. and social terms, forms the antithesis to the medina. The situation in the medina of Tunis is differ- The medina is marked off as another urban form by ent, however. Compared to Moroccan old towns, the ville nouvelle. Owing to this contrast, the medi- it is evident that, in spite of local efforts and the na is able to evolve into something special – a unique interests, it attracted internationally early on, there specimen. This is facilitated and reinforced by the is little evidence of the global dynamics that is cur- fact that the architecture of the buildings and neigh- rently characterizing many old towns of the Arab bourhoods that have developed in Tunis during the world. For instance, there are almost no foreign- subsequent years was modelled primarily on Europe. owned real estate properties in the old town of Thus, the cornerstone was laid for the medina’s cur- Tunis. Nevertheless, the old town and preservation rent symbolic meaning, which has evolved through efforts continue to gain more and more importance interaction of foreign and domestic influences, as is for the people of Tunisia. In this case, the actors to be illustrated. are almost exclusively local and national. To under- During the French protectorate, the medina was stand which processes and strategies are driving the viewed by all actors at that time as the antithesis to preservation of the old town of Tunis, it is necessary the ville nouvelle. This difference is based on morpho- to discuss the symbolic meaning the old town of logical opposites. The layout of the old town focuses Tunis has before addressing the state-aided revitali- inwardly, as can be seen in the closed-off culs-de- zation and the increasing mise-en-scène of Tunis’ sac and the Arab residential houses, where the inte- old town. After all, these strategies for revitalizing rior is arranged around the center. The ville nouvelle, the medina of Tunis are singular and unique in the however, is dominated by an open, angular and wide Arab world. design and layout of streets, the buildings are multi- 1 Tunis’ medina as a symbol of national iden- 2) The Arabic word “medina” does not refer to any spe- tity cial quarter or neighbourhood of a city like old town. Instead it is just the word for “town”.�������������������������������� In French, however, the expres- sion “médina” has come to mean old town. The people of Today, the medina of Tunis is an architectural Tunisia have in the meantime adopted in their French lan- symbol that has great significance for the national guage use the French meaning of “médina” such that it has identity of Tunisia. In the context of the Symbolische now also become the proper name for the Arab old town. 2008 A. Escher and M. Schepers: Revitalizing the medina of Tunis as a national symbol 131 storeyed, with front windows facing outwards. The champ de la rationalité, rejetant ainsi la société tradi- buildings here with their European spirit differ com- tionnelle et ses productions culturelles dans celui de pletely from the buildings in the old town. Based on l’irrationalité“. It is interesting to note that the argu- these contrasts, both the French and Tunisian actors ments previously used by the protectorate govern- provided completely different ideological attributes. ment have been adopted.