Dar Daouletli: A Seventeenth-Century Palace and La Rachidia Headquarters
Site at a Glance
- Country
- Tunisia
- Primary era
- Early Modern
- Eras represented
- Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Palace
History
Dar Daouletli, also known as Dar Rachidia, is a seventeenth-century palace in the medina, the historic urban core, of Tunis, Tunisia. It takes its name from a former occupant described as a daouletli, or dey, a political and military officeholder in Ottoman North Africa. The Turkish term daouletli derives from the Arabic daoula, meaning “government.” The occupant’s powers were gradually curtailed under the Tunis Regency, the Ottoman-era polity centered on Tunis, and the Beylicate of Tunis, a system of rule under beys, the rulers of Tunis.
Tunisia classified the palace as a historical monument on 19 October 1992. It forms part of the Tunis Medina UNESCO World Heritage site and serves as the headquarters of La Rachidia, a Tunisian musical institution.
Remains
The palace’s layout includes an entrance and a courtyard. A column capital, the shaped upper part of a column, is located in the courtyard. Dar Daouletli stands on Rue Driba near Rue Sidi Ben Arous in the Tunis Medina.
The building has north, south, and west façades, while the main salon has an east façade.
