As its development in space, the Arab city encroached on the surrounding countryside, annexing by-here by-there agrarian designations.

The presence of the olive-tree in the center of the medina is thus at the origin of the name of the religious building where is locked up the heart of the Moslem city, it is Jamaa Ez-Zitouna.

The shrubby vegetation can have also reappeared at the periods of depopulation and ruin of the human dwellings, as Tunis knew some at the dark days of its history. Thus can be explained the names of: street of the Palm tree, street of Pomegranate, and the El-Gandoula dead end.

The geographer El Bekri says that the gardens of the surroundings of Tunis produced famous citrons by their savor and their perfume from where that and street names Tronja of the Hurdy-gurdy-Tronja.

• The street name of the Spines can be explained by an old bramble tumble and nettles along a way not built.

• The street of Wood supposes the presence of a lumberman to be burned. The flowers are noted by dead end, those of the Rose, the Jasmine and even of Machmoum,…

• The street of Corn, the street of the Barley, the street of Corn most probably owe their names to merchants selling these cereals. Street of Figs, street of plums, street of fishing, street of Lemon correspond to fruit trees

The concerns of food determined a certain number of names which are often in relation to the presence of merchants of foodstuffs or manufacturers specialized in the clothes industry of Tel. or Tel. food.

Thus, one notes the street of the Bread, that of El-Khemira, that of the Semolina, and of the Flour are probably consecutive designations with the existence in these streets of bread merchants, of semolina … . Water is the usual drink. One finds his name in the dead end of water, that of the public Fountain, and in that also of the water carrier. There exists also the street El-hala ï bi (dairy), that of milk and that still of El-Leben.

The dead end of Orgeat draws its name from a travelling merchant salesman of this syrup. The street of Butter is put for the street of Semen, the dead end of the Liver, street of the Tripe and street ED-Douara which has the same significance, comes, the presence of salesmen of these exits which enter the clothes industry of the several dishes of the Tunisian kitchen. Arab pastry making and the confectionery owe their extension to Tunis with the Turkish domination since Turkish is very fond of delicacies sugar refineries. In the same way, a baptized street street of coal also exists, indicating the presence in these times of one going of coal.

The El-hattab dead end indicates the presence of a wood deposit for the cooking of food or being used for the heating of a communal oven. The street of Ashes is known. Some names still come from ustensils of use for the preparation of “food” street of the Mortar, Rue El-Qassaâ, street of the Jug, and street of the Can. The street of In addition to rather appoints manufacturers of these domestic containers that the ustensil him even.

The names of trades, professions or states, hold a great place in the urban nomenclature, which proves the importance of the craftsmen and tradesmen in the social life of Tunis.

Tunisian craftsmen and tradesmen are still grouped by corporations in specialized markets or souks, located around the large Mosque, but all the souks, today, more or less, are standardized with some exceptions meadows. One can quote some souks like: El-Attarine souk, souk El-Bechamaq (Turkish slippers), El-Belghagia souk, El-Berka souk, Ech-Chaouachiya souk, El-Fekka souk, El-Harairiya souk, El-Kebabjiya souk, El-kachachine souk, El-Leffa souk, souk In-Nehas.

As one finds also the street of the blacksmiths, street of the Wet coopers, street of the Sieves, and street of weavers. In addition, much from streets and dead ends received names of trades or professions which they owe with the domiciliation of a craftsman, of a workman, a civil servant and one can quote the streets or dead ends of the Tailor, of the gatekeeper of the barber, the masseur, the rope-maker, the shoe-maker, of the monumental mason, changer, ropemaking machine, of the manager, the cameraman of chechias, the fighter, the mason, the jeweller, the sabot-maker, the singer, the farmer, the receiver, the professor, of the doctor, …

Islam marked of its seal the city in its architectural aspects: tangled up lanes, houses with terraces, zaou ï as with cupolas and minarets fusing towards the sky, give to the medina and its suburbs an undeniable Moslem seal.

It is in the names even of its streets that the Islamic character of the city appears, either which they represent of the religious terms, or that they evoke of holy characters. One can quote: street Jama â Ez-Zitouna, street Jama â El-Haoua, dead end Mesjed El Qobba and street Zaou ï a El-Bokria. In the same way was the dead end of the Mosque, dead end of the Prayer, street of the Truth, street of the Witness, street of the Martyrs, street of the faster, street of the Marabout, street of Wise, street of the Imam, street of the Reader of Coran, El-Fekih dead end. The street Ech-Chadhl î ya and the dead end And-Tidjaniya bear famous names of brotherhoods like street Sidi-Mehrez, street Sidi-Beautiful-Hassen and strong of Sidi-Beautiful-Hassen.

A certain number of street names are obviously inspired by folk facts or in relation to popular beliefs of a magic nature. Other names appear of pure imagination and about unexplainable. One can quote for the folk nomenclature the El-Jeno û n dead end and the street El-Khomsa.

Resulting from the universal folklore, the ogre is noted by the dead end of the Ogre (El ghoul) and the dead end of Ogresse, also the street of the Treasury, the street Edheb, street of Gold and dead end of the Money. The street of the Wizards indicates a kind of occupation in close connection with superstitious beliefs which are not special in Tunis, but of all times and all the countries.

As for the Bou-saâdia dead end, it owes its name to a character formerly very popular and whom one still meets in the medina Moslem women holidays. It is a black, the face some time covered with a mask and the covered body of skins of animals, which dances while playing of the iron castanets. Other streets draw their names from a physical or moral characteristic of an inhabitant of the street, without this designation not having a pejorative direction for that which is the object: Street of Uneven, street of Lame, street El Qcir, street of the Twins, street of the Widow, street of the Tutor, dead end of the Prisoner, dead end of the Traveller, street of Veiled, street of the Slave,…