Name of Object:

The Khaldouniya

Location:

La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia

Holding Institution:

Institut Supérieur d’Histoire Contemporaine de la Tunisie

 About Higher Institute for the Study of Contemporary History of Tunisia, University of Manouba, La Manouba, Tunis

Date of Object:

Late 19th – early 20th centuries

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Paper

Description:

Founded in Tunis on 22 December 1896, this school can be best described as a sort of modern school. Today, it houses a bilingual library holding several thousand volumes and hundreds of manuscripts, attached to the Bibliothèque Nationale de Tunisie. Founded by the Young Tunisians (Harakat al-Shabab al-Tunisi) and directed by Béchir Sfar, the school's name is a direct reference to the great Arab thinker Ibn Khaldoun. It had the aim of disseminating scientific and practical knowledge in the Arab cultural sphere, particularly among the students of the Zaytuna Mosque, whose teachings were considered archaic and purely religious. The institution was built near the Zaytuna thanks to the support of the French Resident-General, René Millet, who drew up its regulations and in so doing notably failed to include political and religious discussions, choosing instead to focus on encouraging critical and reflective thinking.

Citation of this web page:

Bechir Yazidi "The Khaldouniya" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;tn;70;en

Prepared by: Bechir Yazidi
Translation by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: TN 070