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

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: *

; * 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 Etalages dans la Médina

Notes and references

{{Coord, 36.7976, 10.1711, display=title Attarine