Name of Monument:

Dar al-Haddad

Location:

Bab Mnara, in the Medina, Tunis, Tunisia

Date of Monument:

Hegira 9th century / AD 15th century

Period / Dynasty:

Hafsid

Description:

The entrance to the palace is at the end of a blind alley which was once a private passage. After negotiating three off-set hallways one comes into the courtyard, which has porticoes on three sides. The kadhal columns have Hafsid capitals and are raised by imposts.
The fourth side of the courtyard has three elongated niches of the same height as the porticoes. Two stone benches sit in the lateral niches, while the central niche has a doorway.
A first-floor gallery runs around the four sides of the courtyard. In each corner, groups of three columns stand on canted plinths. A turned-wood balustrade running between the columns provides safety.
Contrary to the usual layout in palaces, the service areas are not separate from the main rooms but are situated on either side of the great hall opposite the entrance. On one side is a vaulted room which served as a provisions store. On the other is a room with a well, leading into a small courtyard off which one enters the kitchen, the latrines and a hammam with underground pipes carrying hot water from a furnace.
The largest room in the palace is on the west side of the first floor. Its layout is unique; a hall with a sunken area in the centre flanked by four small bedrooms. The north chamber possesses the only Turkish-influenced fireplace in the Tunis Medina. It consists of an arch with lambrequins beneath a conical chimney. The ceiling of sculpted and painted wood and the finely carved stuccos take their inspiration from the Andalusian tradition.

Named after a wealthy fez maker, Saïd al-Haddad from al-Andalus, this palace was built to the southwest of the Tunis suqs in the AH 10th / AD 16th century and later restored by the National Heritage Institute. The originality of its design, the scale of the structures and its rich architectural decoration, marked by Andalusian and Turkish influences, make it one of the most beautiful historical buildings in the Tunis Medina. It is now home to the Museum Development Division of the National Heritage Institute.

How Monument was dated:

Artistic and architectural features: the facades with their flat-backed niches and the absence of Carrara marble and polychrome ceramics are typical of decoration before the 11th / 17th century.

Selected bibliography:

Revault, J., L'habitation tunisoise, pierre, marbre et fer dans la consruction et le décor, Paris, 1978.
Revault, J., Palais et demeures de Tunis, Paris, t.1, XVIe–XVIIe siecles, 1967, pp.169–96.
Ifriqiya: Thirteen centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia, pp. 80–81.

Citation of this web page:

Jamila Binous "Dar al-Haddad" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tn;Mon01;31;en

Prepared by: Jamila BinousJamila Binous

Née en 1939 à Tunis, a étudié l'histoire et la géographie à l'Université de Tunis et l'urbanisme à l'Université de Tours (France).
Mme Binous a exercé 30 ans durant autant que chercheur puis directeur à l'Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Médina de Tunis.
A été expert de l'Unesco (mission Sanaa « Ville Historique ») en 1982 ; expert national pour le projet UNDP de reconstruction des sites historiques méditerranéens ; membre du Comité International des Villes Historiques ; co-auteur de la Charte internationale des Villes Historiques (ICOMOS-UNESCO).
Consultante auprès de l'IMED pour l'étude sur le contexte législatif, la stratégie et la politique des musées en Tunisie 2002-2003.
Coordinatrice de l'exposition la femme et le seuil in Femme, culture et créativité en Tunisie – Credif - Tunis 2001.
Mme Binous a pris part à divers congrès internationaux, écrit plusieurs articles et ouvrages tels que :
- Tunis d'un monument à l'autre, Tunis, 1970
- Tunis, Tunis, 1985
- Les chefs d'œuvres de l'artisanat tunisien, Tunis 1982
- Les maisons de la Médina de Tunis, Dar Asraf édition Tunis 2002.

MWNF Working Number: TN 31