Alexandre Lézine (born 4 July 1906 - 4 March 1972) was a French architect,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

of Russian origin.

Career

Lézine graduated with a degree in archeology in 1937. He was the main architect of the historical monuments of

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

. As a historian and archaeologist, he published numerous works on ancient monuments and monuments of the Muslim period, taking an interest in the ancient palaces of

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. From 1945 to 1951 Lézine participated in Pierre Montet's mission in Tanis. In the 1950s, he participated in the excavation of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

. His activity there was mainly focused on the excavation and restoration of the Antonine baths with

Noël Duval Noël Duval (24 December 1929, Le Chesnay – 12 December 2018, Paris) was a French archaeologist. Biography In 1953 Duval started working as a researcher and for three consecutive years worked at the Roman Historical Institute. He was a member ...

and Gilbert Charles-Picard. Excavation of the old Évreux and restoration of the monuments of the Eure. In 1949 he was named , a French title for senior civil servants belonging to the body of state architects and urban planners focusing on heritage monuments. Between 1950 and 1964 he worked as an architect at the Tunisian Department of Antiquities, including in 1952 as principal architect of the Historical Monuments of Tunisia. From 1957 to 1964, he was appointed as advisor to the Tunisian government at the Department of Antiquities and Art; he also lectured on Islamic architecture at the University of Tunis. He served as the Director of the Service of Historical Monuments of Tunisia between 1950 and 1956. From 1957 to 1972 he was Senior Research Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Lézine was appointed Master of Research at the CNRS in 1957, and was an honorary member of the French Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres from 1962 until his death in 1972. In 1962 he was appointed

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

expert in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

where he was responsible for inspection and restoration of monuments. Lézine was decorated with the

Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 The ''Croix de Guerre 1939–1945'' (English: War Cross 1939–1945) is a French military decoration, a version of the ''Croix de Guerre'' created on 26 September 1939 to honour people who fought with the Allies against the Axis forces at any ti ...

Publications

* En collaboration avec J. Verrier, ''Notes sur la consolidation des monuments historiques de Tunisie'', éd. Direction des antiquités et arts de Tunisie, Tunis, 1953 * ''Le ribat de Sousse, suivi de notes sur le ribat de Monastir'', éd. Direction des antiquités et arts de Tunisie, Tunis, notes et documents, t. XIV, 1956 * ''Architecture romaine d'Afrique : Recherches et mises au point'', éd. PUF, Paris, 1961 * ''Mahdiya, recherches d'archéologie islamique'', éd. C. Klinksieck, Paris, 1965 * ''Architecture de l'Ifriqiya, recherches sur les monuments aghlabides'', éd. C. Klinksieck, Paris, 1966 * ''Carthage. Utique - Études d'architecture et d'urbanisme'', éd. du CNRS, Paris, 1968 * ''Mahdiya'', éd. Société tunisienne de diffusion, Tunis, 1968 * ''Sousse, les monuments musulmans'', éd. Cérès Productions, Tunis, 1968 * ''Thuburbo Majus'', éd. Société tunisienne de diffusion, Tunis, 1968 * ''Les thermes d'Antonin à Carthage'', éd. Société tunisienne de diffusion, Tunis, 1969 * ''Utique'', éd. Société tunisienne de diffusion, Tunis, 1970 * ''Trois palais d'époque ottomane au Caire'', éd. Institut français d’archéologie orientale, Le Caire, 1972

Career

Publications

References

See also