Sidi Bou Said ( ar, سيدي بو سعيد ') is a town in northern

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

located about 20 km from the capital,

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Named for a religious figure who lived there, Abu Said al-Baji, it was previously called Jabal el-Menar. The town itself is a tourist attraction and is known for its extensive use of blue and white. It can be reached by a TGM train, which runs from

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

La Marsa La Marsa ( aeb, المرسى ') is a coastal town in far north eastern Tunisia near the capital Tunis. The population is estimated as 92,987, as of 2014. The old summer capital of pre-colonial Tunisia, it is today a popular vacation spot for many ...

History

In the 12th century/13th century AD Abu Said Ibn Khalaf Yahya al-Tamimi al-Beji arrived in the village of Jabal el-Menar and established a sanctuary. After his death in 1231, he was buried there. In the 18th century wealthy citizens of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

built residences in Sidi Bou Said. During the 1920s,

Rodolphe d'Erlanger Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger (b. Boulogne-Billancourt, France, June 7, 1872; d. Tunis, October 29, 1932) was a French painter and musicologist, specializing in North African and Arabic music. Life and artistic career Rodolphe François Baron d' ...

introduced the blue-white theme to the town. His home,

Ennejma Ezzahra Ennejma Ezzahra ("Star of Venus"), sometimes spelled Nejma Ezzohara, also The Palace of the Baron d'Erlanger is a historical palace at Sidi Bou Said, in northern Tunisia, built from 1912 - 1922 by Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger (1872–1932) as his ...

, is now a museum that has a collection of musical instruments, and organizes concerts of classical and Arabic music.

Famous people

Sidi Bou Said has a reputation as a town of artists. Artists who have lived in or visited Sidi Bou Said include famous occultist

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pr ...

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented ...

Gustave-Henri Jossot Gustave-Henri Jossot, also known as Abdul Karim Jossot (Dijon, France, 16 April 1866 – Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia, 7 April 1951), was a French caricaturist, illustrator, poster designer, Orientalist painter, writer and thinker. Life and ca ...

August Macke August Robert Ludwig Macke (3 January 1887 – 26 September 1914) was a German Expressionist painter. He was one of the leading members of the German Expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider). He lived during a particularly act ...

and Louis Moillet. Tunisian artists in Sidi Bou Said are members of École de Tunis (painting school of Tunis), such as

Yahia Turki Yahia Turki, (), born Yahia Ben Mahmoud El Hajjem in 1903 in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, died 1 March 1969, was a Tunisian painter described as the "father of Tunisian painting". After the Independence in 1956, Yahia became the president of l'Ecole ...

, Brahim Dhahak and

Ammar Farhat Ammar Farhat (1911 – March 2, 1987) was a Tunisian painter. He was one of the ten members of the School of Tunis. Early life Born to a poor family in Béja, Farhat moved with them to Tunis when he was seven years old. He experienced difficul ...

. French philosopher

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault (, ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French philosopher, historian of ideas, writer, political activist, and literary critic. Foucault's theories primarily address the relationship between power and knowledge, and ho ...

lived there for a number of years while teaching at the University of Tunis. French author Andre Gide also had a house in the town. Former Tunisian President

Beji Caid Essebsi Beji Caid Essebsi (or es-Sebsi; ar, الباجي قائد السبسي, translit=Muhammad al-Bājī Qā’id as-Sibsī, ; 29 November 1926 – 25 July 2019) was a Tunisian politician who served as the 6th president of Tunisia from 31 December 2 ...

was born in Sidi Bou Said, as was Moufida Tlatli, film director, screenwriter, and editor.

Azzedine Alaïa Azzedine Alaïa (; ar, عز الدين عليّة, ʿIzz ad-Dīn ʿAlayya, ; 26 February 1935 – 18 November 2017) was a Tunisian couturier and shoe designer, particularly successful beginning in the 1980s. Early life Alaïa was born in Tunis ...

had a house in Sidi Bou Said which is now transformed into an art gallery. French singer

Patrick Bruel Patrick Benguigui (; born 14 May 1959), better known by his stage name Patrick Bruel (), is a French singer-songwriter, actor and professional poker player. Biography Early life Patrick is the son of Pierre Benguigui and Augusta Kammoun, d ...

sang about Sidi Bou Said, specifically about Café des Délices, in his song ''Au Café des Délices'' in his 1999 album ''Juste Avant.''

Gallery

File:Carthage Palace from Sidi Bou Said.jpg, Carthage Palace from Sidi Bou Said File:Sidi Bou Said 2007.JPG, Typical street with white walls and blue window shades File:SidBS (47).JPG, Café de Nattes and souvenir shops File:Cafe des delices in Sidi Bou Said.jpg, Café des delices at night Graffiti à Sidi Bousaid.jpg, Graffiti in Sidi Bou Said Gulf of Tunis by night.jpg, Gulf of Tunis by night Sidi bousaid 2.jpg, Sidi Bou Said in a cloudy weather Sidi Bou Said 01.jpg, Sidi Bou Said road Sidi Bou Said at night.jpg, Sidi Bou Said at night Sidi Bou Said(js)1.jpg, People and tourists in Sidi Bou Said Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, Tunisia - panoramio (8).jpg, Sea and Mountain view from Sidi Bou Said TGM Sidi Bou Kassus.jpg, TGM in Sidi Bou Said

References

External links

About Sidi Bou Said in general
* {{Authority control Populated places in Tunis Governorate Communes of Tunisia