commune-tunis.gov.tn بوابة مدينة تونس

The souks of the medina

Souk Ach-Chaouachiya

This is a group of three souks: Souk al-Hafsi accessible from rue de la Kasbah, the small souk and the main souk located between rue Sidi Ben Arous and Souk el-Bey.

This is a group of three souks: Souk al-Hafsi accessible from rue de la Kasbah, the small souk and the main souk located between rue Sidi Ben Arous and Souk el-Bey. The last two were built between 1197 and 1230 H/1782-1814 AD on orders of the Husseini Bey Hamouda Pasha. The Guild of chechia makers was one of the most important professional guilds and chechia making was a highly lucrative activity introduced in Tunisia by Andalusan immigrants. This craft took roots in Tunis exclusively and has its own specific ceremonial, mechanisms and rules. Like other traditional crafts chechia making is supervised by an Amine who is an expert in the field and head of the Guild; he enforces professional ethics and resolves conflicts between members of the profession or between craftsmen and customers.