Name of Monument:

Madrasa al-Bachiya

Location:

Tunis medina, Tunisia

Date of Monument:

18th–19th centuries

History:

The madrasa was the accommodation building for the students of the Zaytuna University. The students lived in rooms resembling monastic cells around an open-air courtyard surrounded by covered porticos, and were able to both study and pray here.

Description:

Located in the Suq des Libraires, this madrasa was built by 'Ali Pacha, the nephew Hussein ben 'Ali. It was built in the mid-18th century in the standard style of the time, distinguished only by its rich plaster décor and ceramic tiles, a tourba (funerary vault) for the builder and his family attached to the building, and a sabil (water fountain) for public use. Today, the madrasa has become a training centre for a crafts and apprenticeship college.

Citation of this web page:

Saloua Khadhar Zangar "Madrasa al-Bachiya" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;AWE;tn;12;en

Prepared by: Saloua Khadhar Zangar
Translation by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: TN 012