Medersa Slimania

Medersa Slimania (School)

The Medersa Slimania was built in 1754 by Ali I Pasha in memory of his son Suleiman. It is located in the direct vicinity of the Zitouna mosque, at the corner of the souk El Koutbiya (booksellers) and the souk El Kachachine.

The Medersa is distinguished by its entrance porch, situated at a higher level than the street. Columns and capitals hold its stone arches (kadhel and harch) with green tiles in cornice. This porch gives access to a vestibule entrance, in Ottoman style, richly decorated. Then comes the courtyard surrounded by four galleries that give access to 18 rooms that once housed students and the prayer hall divided into three naves of three bays and equipped with a mihrab to a colored marble. The walls of the hall are covered with tiled panels displaying the Bismillah and the 99 names of Allah.

Restored in 1982 by the National Heritage Institute and the Association for the Safeguarding of the Medina of Tunis, it now houses the headquarters of a group of medical associations.