Tourbet el Bey

The Tourbet el Bey (Arabic: تربة الباي) is a Tunisian royal mausoleum in the southwest of the medina of Tunis.

The building is topped with domes, the main ones covered with green tortoiseshell-shaped tiles, and the facades are of ochre sandstone, decorated at regular intervals by pilasters and Italian-style entablatures in light-coloured stone.

[5][6] They correspond with the different funerary chambers inside which house the tombs of the ruling family and their wives, as well as of a number of their ministers and servants.

The monument is entered through a large hall which shows a distinct Italian influence in its decoration, mixed with Ottoman style, notably in the chamber of the beys.

[1][5] The intricate decoration of the room blends Italian, Ottoman and local influences; the lower parts of the walls and the pillars are covered in panels of polychrome marble marquetry to a height of 2.5 metres, while finely-sculpted plaster lines the caps of the cupolas.

The walls are generally covered with ceramic tiles in orange and yellow hues, some of which were imported from Italy, particularly from Naples, while others are of local manufacture, from the Qallaline workshops.

Walls in one chamber of the mausoleum displaying a combination of ceramic tiles with finely sculpted plaster
Plaque of the National Heritage Institute and plaque to commemorate the restoration undertaken 1964-1968