Bab Souika

Bab Souika (rear RTL بابسويقة) is one of the doors of the Médina of Tunis (Tunisia). Demolished in 1861, it was between the doors Bab El Khadra and Bab Saadoun, close to the district of Halfaouine, and gave its name to the surrounding district.

Bab Souika (meaning “Door of the small souk”) car its name of whole of Souk S free from taxes not Coran ic and going back to Sidi Mahrez.

Between Bab Saadoun and the place Bab Souika, there was a right street which borrowed the Tramway S going from the downtown area (lines 3 and 4) and which sheltered the craftsmen Ferblantier S and marshal-shoeing which animated their blows of hammers and clear tinkling of metals which they worked this very encumbered very popular street but also. One led to the place where was, on the line, a Marché the small ones charretons covered with Fruit S and Légume S and, on the left, with small coffees and Restaurant S of very animated Merguez the evening and during the Ramadan.

The Médina of Tunis will be the subject of several more or less successful attempts at cleansing. The project of the place Bab Souika, one of most important of them, date of the Years 1980. For his realization, one had to proceed to the destruction of a good part of preexistent urban fabric. The result is a rather eclectic whole of buildings in the style Arabist, the restoration of the Mosquée Sidi Mahrez and the palate Saheb Ettabaâ (1984), the creation of a Pedestrian precinct and a vast place. A tunnel burying the main axis of the district is bored under the place between November 1984 and July 1987. The mosque Bab Saadoun is inaugurated in 1988 to replace the old mosque destroyed because of work of the tunnel. Lastly, the souk El Kallaline replaces the souk of Sidi Mahrez since 1985.

The general headquarter of the club of Football of the sporting Espérance of Tunis is located on the place Bab Souika.

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