Restoration at the Medina: Why the crumbling walls of the Hafsid era are finally sparking a city-wide debate

Work crews from the Association de Sauvegarde de la Médina (ASM) cordoned off a sixty-meter stretch of the Rue Sidi Ben Arous early this morning, signaling the start of an emergency structural stabilization project. The move follows a series of public complaints regarding falling masonry near the Ezzitouna Mosque, where recent tremors from nearby subway construction have exacerbated cracks in buildings dating back to the 13th century.

The preservation of the Medina matters now more than ever because the district is currently caught between the competing pressures of an aggressive tourism reboot and the daily exhaustion of its aging infrastructure. While the Ministry of Cultural Affairs has increased its budget for 'Heritage Preservation' by 12 percent for the 2026 fiscal year, local residents argue that the funds are disproportionately focused on facade-painting for visitors rather than the structural integrity of the residential dwellings where many families have lived for generations.

A tug-of-war between safety and aesthetic

For those living near the Bab Menara gate, the sounds of industrial drilling have become a constant backdrop. The municipal government, working alongside the Tunis Municipality Heritage Commission, claims that injecting synthetic resin into the foundations of these historic structures is the only way to prevent collapses during the sweltering July heat. However, critics point to the lack of transparent environmental impact assessments. At the Place de la Kasbah, activists have already begun circulating a petition demanding that the government release the full engineering report commissioned last March, which reportedly highlighted severe vulnerabilities in the district’s centuries-old plumbing networks.

Economic stakes for the project are high. The city’s official tourism portal currently lists 42 historic houses in the Medina that have been converted into boutique hotels, with nightly rates climbing to 450 Tunisian Dinars during the summer peak. These businesses pay a 'heritage maintenance levy' of 15 dinars per room, yet many shopkeepers on the Rue des Teinturiers claim they haven't seen a single dinar of those funds redirected into the neighborhood’s sewage or pedestrian safety infrastructure in over five years.

What happens next for the Medina

Municipal engineers expect the Rue Sidi Ben Arous closures to last through August 15. The city plans to reopen the street just in time for the late summer craft festivals, though merchants remain skeptical of that timeline. Local business owners are advising residents to avoid the narrow alleys between the Souk El Attarine and the main market gates during the midday hours, as falling debris remains a legitimate concern despite the new scaffolding.

The long-term solution likely rests with the upcoming September session of the Municipal Council, where a new ordinance on 'Private-Public Heritage Partnerships' is up for debate. If passed, the policy would allow private investors to claim tax credits for structural repairs, provided the work is monitored by certified historians. Until then, the scramble to shore up the district’s foundations remains a tense, daily contest against time and gravity.