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The Getty Conservation Institute

Field Trip Report

UNESCO & Tunisia National Heritage Day

Apr. 14-20, 2003 By: Francois LeBlanc, Head, Field Projects

MEETINGS AT UNESCO

EH/WHC/GCI Workshop on Site Management, Padova, Italy Last November, English Heritage, the World Heritage Center and the GCI co-organized a Workshop on Site Management for World Heritage Sites in Padova, Italy. It was one of nine workshops organized within the framework of the celebrations of the World Heritage Convention 30th anniversary. The meetings at UNESCO’s headquarters this week were to finalize the Workshop report layout and content. The report will be published in the World Heritage Papers series. I met with Junko Tanigushi, Program Specialist & Acting Chief, Asian Region Unit, who was the WHC representative during the Workshop and with Karina Lennon, consultant with the WHC, who also took part in the organization of the events in Venice. The publication will contain all the papers presented during the Workshop, each workgroup’s discussion results, the Conclusions and Recommendations, list of participants and useful information concerning each of the partner organizations. The target for publication is the end of June 2003.

GCI collaboration with the World Heritage Center

I also met with Francesco Bandarin, Director of the WHC and Minja Yang, Deputy Director. They both emphasized the WHC’s interest in working in partnership with the GCI wherever possible to help conserve World Heritage Sites. Areas of potential collaboration included Mundo Maya initiatives, rock art in South Africa, earthen architecture along the Inca Route, and within the framework of the Central Asian Earth program, new initiatives that the WHC is undertaking in the Caribbean area and taking better notice and advantage of the GCI’s Guest Scholar Program. M. Yang shared with me her interest in World Heritage Cities issues and conservation of wooden vernacular architecture. We exchanged several ideas on these subjects. Junko Taniguchi introduced me to the Center’s Central Asian Earth program (Kazakhstan / Kyrgyzstan / Tajikistan / Turkmenistan / Uzbekistan), looking again for possible partnership opportunities.

UNESCO Main building, Place de Fontenoy, Paris - Facade

UNESCO Main building – Sunken gardens

UNESCO - 3, rue Miollis building

UNESCO Main building – Interior lobby

World Heritage Center Bldg. Located in interior courtyard

Francesco Bandarin, Dir. World Heritage Center

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Central Asia possesses an astonishing diversity of immovable cultural heritage, witness to the creativity and interactivity of the numerous civilizations that flourished in this region and influenced Asia and the world. However, the attention so far placed on documentation, conservation, and presentation of numerous properties has not been sufficient to meet the needs of the variety and quantity of immovable cultural heritage in this region, which ranges from cultural landscapes, archaeological sites, religious buildings, defensive structures, historic towns and vernacular architecture. As a result, this unique and rich heritage remains unknown and insufficiently appreciated by many, both within and beyond the Central Asian region. Issues to be addressed from 2002 to 2012:

• Updating of national inventories • Strengthening protective legislations, regulations and administrative frameworks

in favor of cultural heritage • Enhancement of the awareness and application of the notions of integrity and

authenticity of cultural heritage • Up-grading of conservation planning processes • Promotion of preventive conservation strategies and techniques • Increasing levels of technical expertise, especially focusing on the conservation

of earthen architectural heritage • Enhancement of management, presentation and interpretation of cultural

resources • Developing partnerships between stakeholders

Program objective

The primary objective of the Central Asian Earth program is to build capacity of the site-management authorities and technical experts in Central Asia for enhanced conservation, preservation, and management of the world cultural heritage of future world cultural heritage in this region through close co-operation at international, regional, and national levels.

Targeted results 1. A better known and recognized immovable cultural heritage 2. Professionals trained to conserve, manage and present immovable cultural

heritage 3. Professionals trained in enhanced conservation of cultural heritage

This program’s needs in trainers, training and training materials in conservation at all levels are huge and considered to be absolutely crucial to the preservation of this heritage.

UNESCO

UNESCO is a relatively complex intergovernmental organization to understand. I thought that it might be useful to share with you a brief description of the organization and how it works. Professional individuals and institutions can become members of international organizations such as ICOMOS and ICOM, but only countries are members of UNESCO.

UNESCO Central Asian Earth Program

Junko Taniguchi, World heritage Centre, Program Specialist & Acting Chief, Asian Region Unit

Cover, Padova Workshop on World Heritage Site Management

Karina Lennon, World Heritage Centre Consultant

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What is UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Its constitution was adopted by the London Conference in November 1945, and entered into effect on the 4th of November 1946 when 20 states had deposited instruments of acceptance. It currently has 188 Member States (as of 19 October 1999). The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations. To fulfill its mandate, UNESCO performs five principal functions:

1. Prospective Studies: what forms of education, science, culture and communication for tomorrow's world?

2. The advancement, transfer and sharing of knowledge: relying primarily on research, training and teaching activities.

3. Standard-setting action: the preparation and adoption of international instruments and statutory recommendations.

4. Expertise: provided to Member States for their development policies and projects in the form of "technical co-operation".

5. Exchange of specialized information.

HOW UNESCO WORKS Three bodies comprise UNESCO:

The GENERAL CONFERENCE of Member States, UNESCO's supreme governing

body, meets, in general, every two years. Following the principle of one vote per country, the General Conference approves the Organization's Program and Budget.

The EXECUTIVE BOARD, composed of 58 representatives of Member States, meets

generally twice a year. Acting as a kind of administrative council, it prepares the work of the General Conference and is responsible for effective execution of conference decisions.

The SECRETARIAT is the Organization's executive branch. Under the authority of

the Director-General, elected for a 6-year term, the staff implement the program adopted by Member States. Koichiro Matsuura, who was elected in 1999 for a six-year term, currently fills the post of Director-General. 2,160 international civil servants, professionals and general staff, are members of the Secretariat. Nearly 645 work outside Headquarters in one of 73 UNESCO field offices and units around the world.

World Heritage Centre’s publication: Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites

UNESCO Main building, view from courtyard

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• 190 of these countries have set up a National Commission constituted of representatives of national educational, scientific and cultural communities.

• 344 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) maintain "official" relations with UNESCO and many others co-operate on an occasional basis with the Sectors.

• 6,668 Associated School help young people form attitudes of tolerance and international understanding.

• 6,000 UNESCO Clubs, Association and Centers promote the Organization's ideals and action at grassroots level.

• 173 Member States have established permanent delegations to the Organization in Paris.

IRAQ - HERITAGE IN DANGER UNESCO, and especially the World Heritage Center, are very concerned with the state of protection of Iraq’s cultural heritage. As you have read in messages forwarded to you by Tim Whalen a few days ago, high-level meetings with international experts have been held at UNESCO’s headquarters and statements have been issued to guide the international community. I thought that it might be interesting to share with you information published on the Web by the World Heritage Center on what are some of Iraq’s most important heritage sites. An exceptional heritage for all humanity. Iraq, the "Land between the two Rivers", has been the cradle of major civilizations starting from the fifth millennium BCE, which marked the watershed between the prehistory and history of humanity. Thanks to an exceptional combination of geographical and climatic factors, a surplus of agricultural production led to the development of sophisticated societies, the invention of writing and the establishment of the first urban settlements and legal codes. In more recent periods of our history, Baghdad has been the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and the political and cultural center of one of the three Monotheistic Religions.

Numerous outstanding sites still bear witness to the great technical and artistic achievements of the ancestors of the people of present day Iraq, and constitute a precious legacy for all humanity. Among these are the cities of Ur of the Chaldees, birthplace of Abraham, Babylon, with the legendary Babel Tower, Nineveh, Hatra, Ashur and Samarra, just to name some of the most famous. In addition to the above-mentioned sites, Iraq houses some of the most important archaeological collections of the world, such as the Iraqi Museum of Baghdad that was looted a few weeks ago.

Iraq and the World Heritage Convention In previous years, Iraq had significantly contributed to the efforts of UNESCO for the protection of the cultural heritage, by supporting its International Safeguarding Campaigns. One of the first States to join, Iraq ratified the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage already in 1974. Despite the undisputed richness of its heritage, however, only one site in Iraq has been inscribed to this day on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the City of Hatra, an important center prospered around the second and third century CE between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Kingdom.

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In the late Seventies and during the Eighties, a number of sites were proposed by Iraq for inscription on the List to the World Heritage Committee, but this referred the nominations back to the State Party for technical reasons (lack of sufficient information, lack of appropriate conservation plans, etc.). Since 1991, owing to the difficult political situation and the lack of the necessary resources, the authorities of Iraq have not been able to conduct the substantial preparatory work, which is required for the submission of a Nomination File. In the year 2000, however, Iraq submitted a new "Tentative List", i.e. a list of sites that the country considers as priority for nomination in the coming years (see map). This Tentative List contains seven sites, from the Sumerian City-State of Ur to the Islamic Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar. Much remains to be done, however, to ensure that the outstanding diversity of the Iraqi heritage is adequately reflected in the World Heritage List. If and when the seven sites in the Tentative List are all inscribed on the World Heritage List and protected under the

Convention, on the other hand, this would only cover a very small portion, though very representative, of the incredibly rich heritage of the Land between the Two Rivers. IRAQ’S PROPOSED SITES FOR THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Ashur

The city of Ashur, the first capital of the Assyrian empire and the religious center of Assyria, can be compared with great ancient capitals in the world such as Babylon, Athens, Rome, Thebes and other cities that have influenced the history of humankind.

Chronologically, the site was occupied as early as the Sumerian Early Dynastic period (2,800 B.C.). It continued until the Hellenistic period and the time of the Arabian kings of the Hatrian dynasty in the first century B.C. and the Parthian period in the first and second centuries A.D., thus covering three millennia of ancient Middle Eastern civilization. The city gained its reputation because it was the city of the god Ashur, the national deity of the Assyrians. The existence of substantial cultic buildings is attested since the first half of the 3rd millennium, when the site was already a developed and organized urban system, the only one of this size known in the entire area. Although during the Neo-Assyrian period the political centers of the empire were transferred to Nimrud, Dur-Sharrukin and Nineveh, Ashur maintained its importance as the main cultic site of Assyria. It was also the place where the Assyrian kings were crowned and buried. The remains of the buildings and their furnishing have been extensively excavated. The architectural and artistic record is accompanied by a large corpus of cuneiform texts, which attest a leading role of Ashur in religion and scholarship, especially during the Middle - and Neo-Assyrian periods.

Hatra, aerial view (from Henry Stierlin, "Cités du désert : Pétra, Palmyre, Hatra", found in "Hatra, Citta' del Sole" catalogue of an exhibition organized by the Italian Archaeological Mission to Hatra)

Plan of Ashur, from Walter Andrae, 1938 (image from the Nomination File of Ashur, Iraqi State Board of Antiquities, 2002)

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Nimrud

Situated on the Tigris River south of Mosul, Nimrud was one of the great cities of Assyria. Unlike many of the ancient settlements of Mesopotamia, Nimrud was a new foundation by Shalmaneser I of Assyria in the mid 13th century BC. It reached its height during the reign of Assurnasirpal II (884-859 BC) who made it the capital of Assyria; it remained so until 710 BC when the capital was transferred first to Khorsabad and then to Nineveh. An 8 km-long wall surrounds the 200 hectares city, which includes a citadel in the southwest corner, where a Ziggurat was erected, a temple dedicated to Ninurta (patron deity of the city), a temple dedicated to Nabu (god of writing) and a series of palaces. The largest and most important is the Northwest Palace built by Assurnasirpal II in mud-brick and decorated with gypsum relief and wall paintings. There are remaining pieces of carved ivory furniture, which were obtained by plundering or received as payments for protection. Recent excavations have revealed three royal tombs containing incredible treasures, as well as an imposing stone wall.

Samarra

Stretching for over 40 km along the banks of the Tigris, Samarra is recognized as possibly the largest archaeological site in the world today. It was developed as an important center in 836 CE, when the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tassim established it as his capital, following clashes between his troops (of Central Asian origin) and the population of Baghdad. In searching for a residence for the court, and a base for the Abbasid army, outside of Baghdad, the Caliph chose the region for its hunting, even though it was poor in natural resources. The city remained in power for 56 years and was home to eight caliphs, until 892 when the power returned to Baghdad. Mud brick and pise (clay) were the main building materials in Samarra. Baked brick was used for more important structures such as the Great Mosque and the Bab al-Amma. Carved and molded stucco panels decorated palaces and houses, and provide the earliest examples of beveled stucco decoration. None of the wall

paintings or glass mosaics, which decorated some of Samarra's palaces, remain today. Directly to the east of the Caliph's palace is the Great Mosque of Samarra with its famous spiral minaret (the Malwiyya), which may have been influenced by earlier Mesopotamian ziggurats. Measuring over 240 by 160 m, this is one of the largest mosques in the world, as well as one of the most important for the development of the Islamic architecture. The internal structure, which is being today rebuilt with modern materials, was originally in marble columns. A large fountain was placed at the center of the main court. The modern town of Samarra is located approximately in the center of the Abbasid city.

Great Mosque and City of Samarra. Early twentieth century aerial view

Samarra. The Great Mosque during the reconstruction works in the year 2000.

Samarra. City walls (photograph by G. Boccardi, UNESCO WHC)

Nimrud. Aerial view of the citadel

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(archive of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities)

(photograph by G.Boccardi, UNESCO WHC).

The Ancient City of Nineveh

Located opposite modern Mosul, 400 kilometres north of Baghdad on the Tigris River, Nineveh is one of the most important of the ancient Mesopotamian cities and is often mentioned in the Bible. Today, the site consists of several mounds, the main one being the palace of Kuyunjik. It was occupied from the 6th millennium BC until it was destroyed by the Medes late in the 7th century BC. The city was at its prime in the 7th century BC when Sennacherib made it the capital of Assyria. Most of the surviving remains date from this period, including parts of the city wall, which was 12 kilometers in circumference, and the great palace of Sennacherib with its splendid relief. Some of these relief, together with the great archives of Cuneiform tablets, which constituted the two libraries of Sennacherib and his grandson Assurbanipal, were transferred to the Louvre and the British Museum during the 19th century.

The Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar

Among the famous palaces built by Abbassid Caliphs and Emirs is the Al Ukhaidar Palace, a fortified complex containing halls, courtyards, apartments and a Mosque, built along an important commercial route. Built between 774-775 by Isa ibn Musa some 100 km southwest of Baghdad, the Palace is rectangular in shape with sides of 176 x 146 Mt. It contains a main reception hall, a grand Iwan and servants' quarters. The palace is considered a masterpiece of technical innovation, and has had an important impact on the development of Islamic architecture.

During the Gulf War, an ammunition storage depot, located close to the Palace of Al-Ukhaidar, was hit by two air-strikes on Jan. 20, 1991, and around midnight on Feb. 13, 1991. Fortunately, it seems that the Abbasid fortress was not damaged. Since then, the UNSCOM team has inspected the storage on several occasions, including last January.

Al Ukhaidar. The Mosque Al Ukhaidar. General plan (Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and

Nineveh. Main gate (Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage)

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Heritage)

Ur

Tell al-Muqayyar (ancient Ur) lies near the city of Nasiriyah in the south-western floodplain of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The capital of a small wealthy empire during the third millennium B.C, Ur was fabled as the city of the Sumerian moon god Nanna and the traditional home of the biblical patriarch Abraham (Gen. 12:4-5). The city was also known in the Bible as Ur of the Chaldees. This biblical name refers to the Chaldeans, who settled the area about 900 B.C. Ur's mounded ruins encompass 1,200 meters northwest to southeast and 800 meters northeast to southwest. They rise to a height of 20 meters above the surrounding plain, although the ruin of the ziggurat (temple tower) on the northwest end of the site rises even higher. A long, broken line of smaller mounds extends more than l,500 meters to the north-northeast.

The ruins of Ur were found and first excavated by the British consul J.E. Taylor, who partly uncovered the ziggurat of Nanna. However, no excavation in the more than 150 years of archaeological work in Mesopotamia has drawn as much public attention as C. Leonard Woolley's work at ancient Ur in the 1920s and early 1930s. The most spectacular discovery was the Royal Cemetery, which contained art treasures of gold, silver, bronze, and precious stones. Among the numerous clay tablets recovered, some told the story of the epic hero Gilgameh.

Wasit

Wasit lies south-east of the modern town of Kut, in southern Iraq. It was founded in 701 CE by al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al Thaqafi, governor of Iraq, as an administrative center and a garrison town to replace Kufa and Basra, after a revolt against the Umayyads.

Excavations in 1936-1942, and again in 1985, have revealed the remains of a madrassa (religious school), residential buildings and two superimposed mosques, the earlier of which had no mihrab. These findings confirm the early date of the mosque (possibly 703 CE), as the first concave mihrab was introduced by al-Walid in 707-9 in the mosque of Medina. The devastation brought by the Mongols in the thirteenth century, and by Timur in the fourteenth, hastened the decline of a city that was no longer on the main trade routes due to a change in the course of the Tigris.

Ur. The Great Ziggurat (Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage)

Wasit. Ancient Gate (Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage)

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MEETINGS WITH ICOMOS FRANCE

I met with Benjamin Mouton, President of ICOMOS France, and Michel Polge, member of ICOMOS France Board, to discuss what they considered to be the important issues in conservation for the next five to ten years.

Standards and Guidelines

Interestingly, at the top of their list of important issues are standards and guidelines in conservation. They realize that they don’t exist at national and international level. It seems to them that everyone outside the world of conservation is coming up with new standards, especially in the area of safety and security. Because these people have no understanding of the field of conservation the new requirements always seem to create impossible situations for conservators. Because there is such a void in conservation standards, the conservation professionals have no means to oppose these new requirements. They agreed that until such a time when there are recognized international standards in conservation, it is going to be very difficult to make the field progress. It will continue to be treated as a marginal, expensive, bothersome and irresponsible field.

Training

Training of conservation professionals, craftsmen, and heritage sites managers is not a problem in France. Several institutions have been offering and continue to offer solid and time-tested training courses in all these areas. But this is only for individuals who have elected to work in the field of heritage. Basic education and training on “the existing” for undergraduate professionals and traditional crafts (not historic restoration) is virtually non-existent. New architects, archaeologists, engineers, landscape architects, electricians, roofers, plumbers, plasterers etc. are not sensitized to understanding and dealing with “the existing” never mind the “historic”. There is a crying need in French-Speaking countries for training undergraduate professionals and craftsmen on basic principles and techniques for maintaining, repairing and conserving existing fabric, whether historic or not.

Tourism

A great deal of work has been done by the French on the subject of mass tourism and how it affects fragile sites. On this subject, UNESCO’s World Heritage Center has just published a manual entitled: “Managing Tourism at World Heritage Sites: a Practical Manual for World Heritage Site Managers” by Arthur Pedersen. A copy will be with our Documentation Center.

Dissemination and Advocacy

Dissemination of conservation information among specialists and to the general public is currently a major problem in the French-Speaking world. The “Monuments Historiques” magazine used to be a high quality publication that ensured communication at many levels, but it has been discontinued for almost a decade now. Nothing has replaced it. Also, there is very little dialogue between elected officials and specialists from the heritage movement. This is considered to be critical because less and less attention is being paid to the needs of the conservation field.

Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Paris

Typical Paris 19 th century architecture

Benjamin Mouton, President of ICOMOS France

Michel Polge, Board member, ICOMOS France

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Laboratoires de Champs-sur-Marne

The French national laboratory for research in conservation has done a great deal of work in recent years on consolidants and waterproofing materials. They have also conducted extensive research on stained glass, wood, concrete and metals conservation. Interestingly, they have done some cutting edge research on biomineralization; that is bacteria are used to create a glue or bond between broken pieces of stone. Values and Emergency preparedness Interestingly, no work or research seems to be going on in France on values and values-based planning and management. My colleagues were quite intrigued concerning the GCI’s initiatives in this field and were considering discussing this subject further. They said that the French seem to take for granted the cultural or historical values of monuments but they could see how this can easily be very misleading. On the subject of Emergency preparedness, they expressed great interest and mentioned that there is a strong movement in France for preparedness and response to natural disasters.

Rehabilitation and Reuse

In France, like in many other developed countries, the rehabilitation or renovation industry has surpassed in total investments the new construction industry. Yet, the basic tools for the rehabilitation industry are dramatically missing. A great deal of “terrible things” are being done to France’s built heritage because architects and engineers are not taught the basics of how to deal with the existing built environment.

MEETINGS IN TUNISIA

Tunisia celebrates Heritage Month each year. In begins on April 18 (international heritage day proclaimed by ICOMOS more than a decade ago) and ends on May 18. This is Tunisia’s 12th celebration of Heritage Month. This year it coincided with Tunisia’s National Year of the Book, hence this year’s theme was “written heritage”. Dr. Abdelbaki Hermassi, Minister of Culture launched Heritage Month at Nabeul, in north-east Tunisia, approximately 60 km from Tunis. For this occasion, a magnificent mosaic that was in dire need of repair was cleaned and consolidated by the trainees from the GCI/INP course in conservation of mosaics in situ. They brought to the site the tools they used to document the mosaic; they had cleaned the mosaic leaving several untouched patches to show the difference between before and after treatment. They were all present and working when the Minister, his entourage, the media and several hundred persons showed up at the site to witness their efforts. The effect was dramatic. One of the trainees explained to the Minister how they document a mosaic prior to treatment. Aicha Ben Abed, from Institut National du Patrimoine and I explained the various stages of work. Fathi Bejaoui, also one of our partners from the INP discussed the training program with various officials. Everyone present could see and understand how important it is to maintain the mosaics, how beautiful they are when properly cared for, and how they can easily become one of the main attraction of the site. The fact that Tunisia has the largest collection of ancient mosaics on its territory was acknowledged and the idea of creating a special Tunisian “module” or “institute” for the study and conservation of mosaics was discussed with the

Ecole militaire and Eiffel Tower

Dr. Abdelaki Hermassi, Minister of Culture review mosaic documentation prepared by trainees

GCI/INP Trainees cleaning and repairing a mosaic in Nabeul

After and before cleaning of mosaic pavement

Collection of professional photographs of Bardo Museum mosaics donated by GCI to INP on occasion of Heritage Month celebrations

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Minister and the Director of INP, Mr. Mohamed Beji Ben Mami. He later confirmed in a private interview that INP’s intention is to make this happen in the best possible timeframe and with the help and collaboration of the GCI. The GCI’s contribution was publicly acknowledged during this event, and the Institute was thanked for its support and collaboration. I offered Director Ben Mami a copy of photographs of the Bardo Museum mosaics, taken in 1994 by a professional photographer hired by the GCI.

THE CITY OF NABEUL

The next GCI/INP campaign to train technicians in the conservation of mosaics in situ will take place in Nabeul, known during the Greek period as Neapolis (New Town). It is one of the most ancient cities of western Mediterranean. It was mentioned in Greek texts in the year 413 B.C. It was written that Neapolis was only two and a half days away from Naples! Good fishing, agriculture and stone quarries, made the area an ideal place to establish a prosper city. Neapolis was always faithful to Carthage, the capital of the Punic empire. It finally fell to the Romans during the third Punic war (264-241 B.C.; 218-201 B.C.; 149-146 B.C.). It became part of a Roman province and was known as “civitas libera”, a free city. Neapolis was a major supplier of wheat, wine, and fine ceramics to Rome. This commercial activity brought it wealth and prosperity for hundreds of years. Neapolis was famous for garum, a condiment made from fish and seafood treated with fine herbs. A very expensive product, it was much appreciated by the Romans and was used in many recipes. The Cap Bon peninsula was conquered by the Arabs in 674. Neapolis then fell into ruins. It was reborn again during the 12th century. It was a strategic location. The ruins of the ancient city offered cheap stones to build the new buildings. The city grew slowly but steadily and now boasts a population of 56,000 inhabitants.

The Nabeul Museum

Restoration work began at the Nabeul museum five years ago and were concluded for the opening of Heritage Month. It is located in the center of the City. According to Ms Bahroun, museum curator, it holds one of the finest collections of Tunisian mosaics from the 4th century B.C. It also has fine and rare Punic funerary ceramics.

ENNEJMA EZZAHRA

At the suggestion of my Tunisian colleagues, I made a brief visit to the Ennejma Ezzahra palace. It was built between 1912 and 1922 on the hills of Sidi Bou Saïd (appprox. 20 minutes from Tunis) by Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger, a French painter and musician. It is considered to be an important Tunisian architectural historic monument. The baron made his fortune in banking. Being a fine artist, he was quite sensitive to the Andalusia -North-Africa architectural forms and decoration. He built this exquisite palace that was donated by his family to the State when he died.

Mohamed Beji Ben Mami, Director of the Institut National du Patrimoine of Tunisia

Launch of Heritage Month in Tunisia at the Nabeul Museum recently restored

Nabeul Museum has one of the best collection of Tunisan mosaics

Nabeul Museum collection of Punic funerary ceramics

Ennejma Ezzahra - Facade

Baron D’Erlanger’s son bedroom

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The palace is now a major tourism attraction. Concerts of traditional and contemporary music are held regularly and a collection of ancient Tunisian music instruments is exhibited in one of the rooms.

THE MEDINA OF TUNIS The Medina of Tunis is on the World Heritage List. It is an incredible place full of wonderful buildings, traditions and life.

Under the reign of the Almohaves and the Hafsides dynasties, from the 12th to the 16th centuries, Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities of the Islamic world. Some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, medersas and founta ins, speak of this remarkable past.

As one enters the narrow streets, centuries slip. Small shops, their treasures of brass, olive wood, leather and brightly colored garments spill out into the street. Souvenirs, antiques, Berber jewelry, carpets and pottery vie for your attention. Rebuilt in the 9th century, the Ez Zitouna was for centuries the focal point of life in the Arab city as urban planning decreed the order in which the different trades were placed, and the most noble, booksellers, perfumeries, dried fruits sellers and cloth merchants held the privilege of proximity to the Mosque. Today one can still see traces of this tradition. The Souk of the Perfumes, traditional clothing shops, almond and spice sellers are still located alongside its walls. I was taken through the streets of the Medina by various architects working for the Institut National du Patrimoine, namely: Sonia Slim, Jihene Arfa, Saloua Ayari Trabelsi et Radhia Ben M’Barek. I was shown several ancient palaces that are in dire need of restoration. The staff architects of the Institute prepare the surveys and the condition assessments for these projects. They then develop suggestions for new uses that would be compatible with the monuments and work closely with the Director to try to attract funding to restore the buildings. This is not an easy task as you can easily imagine considering the current economic situation worldwide.

BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF TUNISIA

Carthaginians and Romans

In ancient times Tunisia was part of the mighty Carthaginian Empire. Its chief city, Carthage, was reputedly founded in 814BC by Phoenician traders, who had previously established several small trading posts along the North African coast. The site of Carthage, which became the largest and most famous of these Phoenician settlements, is thought to have been slightly to the northeast of the modern city of Tunis. The Carthaginian Empire dominated most of North Africa, as well as parts of the Iberian Peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily. By the third century BC, however, trouble was brewing for the Carthaginians, in the shape of the fast-expanding Roman Empire. Although Rome had signed several treaties with Carthage and recognized its power, the Roman leaders watched closely for an opportunity to overthrow it. War clouds gathered and three bloody struggles -- the Punic Wars -- were fought. In the third and last of

Medina of Tunis

Covered Souk in the Medina

Open-air Souk in the Medina

Jihene Arfa, INP Architect

Rhadia Ben M’Barek, INP Architect, Head of Cultural Sites, Historic and Traditional Ensembles

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these, which took place in 149-146BC, the Carthaginians were completely defeated and the city of Carthage destroyed by Scipio's army. Carthaginian territory, roughly corresponding to modern Tunisia, was made a Roman province known as "Africa Vetus". As a province of Rome, the land was intensively cultivated and provided the Romans with wood, wool, olive oil and wheat. The region's prosperity grew, and a large number of cities spread across the province. Many archaeological sites today bear witness to the splendor of both pre-Roman and Roman Carthage.

Turkish rule and piracy

In 1574, Ottoman armies defeated the Spanish, and Tunisia became part of the Ottoman Empire. A period of peace and stability followed, with Turkish imperial rule affected through local governors, known first as deys and later as beys. The first of these, al-Husayn ibn Ali (ruled 1705-1740) founded the Husaynid dynasty and established considerable prosperity in the region. Much of this prosperity was founded on piracy. This had been an important Tunisian enterprise for several centuries, with Tunisia receiving 'protection money' in the form of bribes from a large number of sea-going nations. The Barbary Coast of North Africa harbored several corsair bases, all of which flourished during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The end came in 1815, when the US Navy attacked Tunis and put an end to its piratical source of revenue.

French colonization

The demise of piracy and the resulting loss of revenue plunged the region into economic chaos. France, Italy and Great Britain all sought to realize their imperialistic ambitions in Tunisia, and in 1881, France wielded the upper hand in the signing of the Bardo Treaty (Treaty of Kasser Said), which acknowledged Tunisia as a French protectorate. During the late 1880s a group of French settlers colonized the region along the northern coast. They began opening businesses and exerted a strong Western influence on the hitherto Arab culture. Although the bey was still Tunisia's nominal ruler, the country was effectively governed by a French resident general. Despite some unrest by local patriotic movements, Tunisia remained a French protectorate until 1956. During the Second World War, Tunisia supported the Vichy government that ruled France after its capitulation to the Nazis in 1940. Allied forces landed in Algeria and Morocco and there was fierce fighting between the Allies and the German forces, resulting in Germany's capitulation in North Africa in 1943. Control of Tunisia was immediately handed over to the Free French and the reigning bey was arrested as a German collaborator. This exacerbated bad feeling against the French authorities and eventually resulted in a renewal of nationalist unrest. Violent resistance to French rule boiled up in 1954. The French premier, Pierre Mendes-France, arrived in July of that year to attempt conciliation and, after lengthy negotiations, France promised the protectorate full internal autonomy under a Tunisian government. France was to retain control of foreign policy and defense, however.

Salua Ayari Trabelsi, Head, INP Dept. of Architecture and Town Planning

Dar Rachid Palace / Church awaiting restoration

INP Architect Sonia Slim

Traditional door in the Medina

Aicha Ben Abed interviewed at Pupput Necropolis Site

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This proposition proved acceptable to the nationalist leaders and the first all-Tunisian government was set up in September 1954. Not all nationalists were content with the new regime, however, and pressed for even greater independence. In March 1956, a treaty was signed in Paris, invalidating the Bardo Treaty of 1881, and recognizing Tunisia as a sovereign state, ruled as a constitutional monarchy under the bey.

French withdrawal and national autonomy

The first Tunisian elections took place in April 1956 and the Tunisian statesman Habib Bourguiba was elected President of the first National Assembly. Bourguiba had previously been head of the national liberation movement, Neo-Destour. Tunisia became a member of the United Nations in November 1956. During the following year, the bey was finally overthrown and Tunisia was proclaimed a republic, with Bourguiba elected President. Many French residents departed in haste, fearing local reprisals, and relations with France deteriorated still further in 1957 with clashes between Tunisian and French troops along the Algerian border. The 1958 bombing of the Tunisian village of Sakiet-Sidi-Youssef by French military planes killed 68 Tunisians and wounded a further 100. The French government stated that this attack had been retaliatory action for Tunisian support of Algeria over independence. Tunisia demanded the French evacuation of a naval base at Bizerte, and Tunisian troops held the base under siege in July 1961. A UN cease-fire was demanded, and France was asked by the UN General Assembly to withdraw from Bizerte. After lengthy discussion, France did withdraw in October 1963.

Typical street in the Medina

Interior courtyard door to office of Architect Rhadia Ben M’Barek

F. LeBlanc reviewing mosaic documentation with trainees