![Souk_El_Attarine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Souk_El_Attarine.jpg)
Souk El Attarine ( ar, سوق العطارين), or souk of spice traders, is the name by which most spice markets are referred to in Arab countries in the Middle East. Old cities (
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, Damascus, Amman, Beirut, Tunis, Marrakach) were often divided into segments based on what was sold - meat, spices, fabrics and so on - and attarine, which means spice traders in Arabic, refers to the spice market.
History
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Straatgezicht TMnr 60022131](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Straatgezicht_TMnr_60022131.jpg)
The souk was initiated by a sovereign of the
Hafsid dynasty
The Hafsids ( ar, الحفصيون ) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. who ruled Ifriqiya (western ...
,
Abu Zakariya Yahya
Abu Zakariya Yahya (, Abu Zakariya Yahya I ben Abd al-Wahid (12031249) was the founder and first sultan of the Hafsid dynasty in Ifriqiya. He was the grandson of Sheikh Abu al-Hafs, the leader of the Hintata and second in command of the Almohads ...
, in 1240.
Locations
Souk el Attarine is one of the
souks
A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in the W ...
of the
medina of Tunis
The Medina of Tunis is the medina quarter of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The Medina contains some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains dating from t ...
, specialized in
perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
and
beauty products
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
trading. This souk is famous for trading
jasmine
Jasmine ( taxonomic name: ''Jasminum''; , ) is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae). It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania. Jasmines are widely cultiva ...
and
rose water
Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil
Rose oil (rose otto, attar of rose, attar of rose ...
as well as
amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...
and
henna
Henna is a dye prepared from the plant ''Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''.
''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting fr ...
.
Today perfume and beauty products trading is still the main fonction of the souk.
It is situated near the
Al-Zaytuna Mosque
Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque ( ar, جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning ''the Mosque of Olive''), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldes ...
, facing its northern facade.
It can be accessed from the north via the Sieve Street,
Souk El Blaghgia and Sidi Ben Arous Street, from the west from
Souk El Trouk
Souk El Trouk ( ar, سوق الترك) is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis. It is specialized in clothing and embroidery trading.
History
Souk El Trouk was initiated in the early 17th century by Yusuf Dey to satisfy the Turkish communi ...
and from the south by
Souk El Fekka
Souk El Fekka is one of the souks of the medina of Tunis.
Location
It is directly located in front of the Ez-Zituna Mosque, near Souk El Attarine.
Products
It is possible to buy ingredients for the preparation of cakes present at every cel ...
.
In this souk, there are a good number of historical monuments such as:
*
Al-Zaytuna Mosque
Al-Zaytuna Mosque, also known as Ez-Zitouna Mosque, and El-Zituna Mosque ( ar, جامع الزيتونة, literally meaning ''the Mosque of Olive''), is a major mosque at the center of the Medina of Tunis in Tunis, Tunisia. The mosque is the oldes ...
;
*
Khaldounia;
*
Madrasa Al Asfouriya;
* A branch of the
National Library of Tunisia
The National Library of Tunisia (Tunisian Arabic, Arabic: ''المكتبة الوطنية التونسية'') is the legal deposit and copyright library for Tunisia. It was founded in 1885, then known as the ''French Library'', and then the ''Peop ...
;
*
Foundouk El Attarine.
*
Madrasa Hamzia
Khaldounia.JPG, Facade of Khaldounia
MinaretMosqueeZitounaTunis.JPG, Minaret of the Al-Zaytuna Mosque
Notes and references
{{Coord, 36.7976, 10.1711, display=title
Attarine