Husaynid Beys

Tunisia

It was under the Turks that Tunisia saw the beginning of the time of the pashas, deys and beys, who governed the country from AH 981 to 1375 / AD 1574 to 1956, when a fledgling Tunisian Republic was declared.
Dependent on their masters in Algiers, the pashas controlled the country with the help of Turkish janissaries until the victory of the deys in 998 / 1590, counting amongst their ranks illustrious princes such as the authoritative 'Uthman Dey (1002–18 / 1594–1610) and Yussef [Yusuf] Dey, who enjoyed a long and prosperous reign (1018–46 / 1610–37).
Much of the 11th / 17th century belonged to the Muradid deys, who were not immune to fratricidal conflict or civil war.
The supremacy of the beys resulted in the Husaynid dynasty, named after its founder Husayn ibn 'Ali. The dynasty, which lasted from 1116 to 1376 /1705 to 1957, was a prosperous one and it endowed the country with a number of beautiful creations.
The Turkish period was marked by foreign influences from Andalusia and Europe, which shaped the character of town and country alike and engendered a taste for splendour and decoration.
The Turks were great builders and were responsible for a number of masterpieces, including:
• In Tunis, the Yussef Dey Mosque, the Hammuda Pasha Mosque, the Jamaa al-Jadid Mosque, the Bey M'hamed Mosque, the Mausoleum of Aziza 'Uthmana, Turbe al-Bey, a dozen madrasas (schools), Dar al-Bey, Dar 'Uthman and Dar Husayn. Work was also undertaken on the Great Mosque in the town.
• The quarters of the medina, which owe their lustre and style to the Turks, as does the al-Halfauine in the northern suburb, where you can still see some beautiful buildings in a large complex including a mosque, two madrasas, a mausoleum and a palace.
The Turks undertook a lot of building work elsewhere in the country: palaces, defensive structures (forts, barracks, town fortifications such as those at Kairouan), bridges and hydraulic works, including a number of fountains.