| In the medina, the residential areas were kept separate from the commercial areas. In one residential area we visited Tourbet el Bey, the mausoleum of the Husseinid princes, built in the second half of the 18th century. The main room contained tombs of important princes, and on top of each tomb was either a turban or fez depending on the prince�s preferred headgear. One of the mausoleum�s walls had a beautifully depicted Islamic �star of eight� symbolizing the eight doors of paradise, with a �tree of life� on each side. Next, we visited the Dar Ben Abdallah Museum, initially a wealthy Tunisian townhouse (dar), built in 1796. In a Tunisian townhouse, privacy was paramount. Only the outside door was visible from the street. The home itself was built around a central courtyard hidden from the street by a number of vestibules. |
