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, 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,

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 of the medina of Tunis, 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. T ...

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 protec ...

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 cultiv ...

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 for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavou ...

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. 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 and from the south by Souk El Fekka. In this souk, there are a good number of historical monuments such as: *

; *

Khaldounia Madrasa Al Khaldounia or simply Khaldounia ( ar, الخلدونية) is the first modern school founded in Tunisia on December 22, 1896. The madrasa is a good example of democracy, as all its members and presidents were elected. It was a free, ...

; * Madrasa Al Asfouriya; * A branch of the

National Library of Tunisia The National Library of Tunisia (Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, M ...

; * Foundouk El Attarine. *

Madrasa Hamzia Madrasa Hamzia ( ar, المدرسة الحمزية) is one of the madrasahs of the medina of Tunis. It was built in the 20th century by a rich bourgeois in order to host the University of Ez-Zitouna students coming from Mahdia, Tunisia. Locati ...

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