Hidden among the whitewashed houses on sinuous paths of the Medina of Tunis is the beautiful boutique hotel Dar Ben Gacem, Kahia. The gypsum-carved ceilings of this 17th-century house are rich with intricate geometric designs and Arabic calligraphy. The appreciation of Tunisian craftsmanship comes easily here, showcased in the beautifully decorated rooms filled with handmade items and a collection of over 400 historical ceramic pieces.
Located near Hafsia, or the Hara, the former Jewish neighborhood of the Medina, the hotel building carries many stories from its past. Many dars, or historic houses, in the Medina are currently empty or deteriorating due to inheritance disputes—a somber reflection of history.
From the 12th to the 16th century, Tunisia was considered one of the wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. Its narrow alleys were lined with mosques, synagogues, palaces, markets, and hammams, all attesting to the coexistence of diverse communities, including a significant Jewish presence that lived in peace for over 700 years, contributing to Tunisian economic, social, political, and intellectual life.
French colonialism and Arab nationalism stripped Medina of its soul, leading to a period of decline. During the Second World War, the French army decisively fought the Germans in the Medina of Tunis, culminating in the Nazi military’s first defeat in North Africa. Still, it brought with it destruction and the immigration of Tunisian Jews to France and Israel-Palestine.
Near the boutique hotel Dar Ben Gacem, there is a newly established public garden where bees and butterflies roam freely. Local residents, particularly the youth, take pride in caring for the plants and trees and organizing activities such as chess tournaments and movie nights. In this public space, the community is becoming an unstoppable force, re-engaging with the city’s economic, social, and cultural life.
Once, in this space stood perhaps the house of a Jewish family or the shrine of an imam; bombed during the Second World War, it left an unusual space enclosed within old buildings. Over time, neighbors used it as a car park in the densely populated Medina, and it also became an informal extension of the busy Hafsia flea market next door. Outside of market hours, women in the community would avoid the derelict spot, taking a longer route back to their homes, but with no interest in socializing in the streets of Medina. In contrast, men felt safe hanging around with friends in cafés and public spaces, which they treat as extensions of their homes.
After Tunisian independence, numerous urban initiatives were undertaken to revive the spaces of collapsed buildings in Medina, but these efforts never succeeded, and the neglected spaces contributed to the urban degradation of the Medina. In 2022, the municipality of Tunis, with the support of the Cities Alliance, launched the Femmedina project and designed several spatial interventions around the four neighborhoods in Medina to encourage women’s participation in the Medina.
The project eventually ended, but like many projects, how do you sustain them? Asked Leila Ben Gacem herself, the boutique hotel owner adjacent to one of these interventions, emphasizes the importance of local engagement. She left a door open for young people from the community to seek her support in dynamizing the space. “For instance, a chess tournament costs me little money, but it brings joy to those using the space, and that makes me happy too. The local youth can come to me with their ideas for public activities. Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don’t, but I never say no. You have to encourage them,” says Ben Gacem with a smile. This approach creates a safe environment for the community to foster cultural exchange, understanding, and resilience.
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Ben Gacem’s enthusiasm, transmitted with humbleness, is contagious. I was fortunate to attend her panel discussion at the World Urban Forum in Cairo this November, among the numerous events available. Two days later, during our interview, I listened to the profound impact of her work firsthand.
“In my first life, I was an engineer in a multinational corporation,” she shares. Her commitment to the urban and socio-economic regeneration of the Medina of Tunis is her second life. In 2013, after converting a 15th-century house into a seven-room boutique hotel, she reinvested all her profits into restoring an 18th-century house and opened another boutique hotel just a couple of streets away. She sources supplies locally and collaborates with artisans to offer workshops for her guests.
Through her consultancy Blue Fish, established in 2006, she empowers artisans, particularly women, by helping them export their creations and nurturing their businesses. Ben Gacem’s social entrepreneurial hand can be felt at her store in the Souk of Chachia — which undoubtedly helped local artisans produce the little Tunisian red hut (chechia) in their workshops. If you visit the Souk El Chaouachia in Tunis Medina, you’ll see artisans busy at work, brushing, ironing, checking finishes, or counting chechias. “If you ask a chaouachi a simple question like, ‘How is the chechia made?’ you will receive a gentle smile akin to what a rocket scientist might offer when you ask, ‘How does the rocket leave the earth?’” Ben Gacem explains. “It might seem like an arrogant smile,” she acknowledges, but she understands the effort invested in creating that little hat.
Ben Gacem is an “obsessed” social entrepreneur; everything she does holds meaning and has a noble mission. After our conversation, it came to realize that she draws inspiration from Princess Aziza Othmana, who lived in the 17th century in the Medina of Tunis. The social contributions she made through enterprises such as bakeries, hammams, and storage spaces were so significant that they couldn’t be overlooked by a male-dominated historical narrative. The princess used her profits for public lighting, mosque maintenance, madrassas within the Medina, and the fees and marriage costs for impoverished young women—anything that could improve people’s lives and promote social harmony.
All employees at Ben Gacem’s boutique hotels are from the local community in the Medina, and more than half are high school dropouts. She explains that they learn everything on the job, while her business also supports those who choose to return to school. According to the latest UNESCO study, only 47% of young people in primary school attain a baccalaureate. School dropouts have become a significant issue in Tunisia since the revolution. “It’s a national disaster,” she states flatly.
“Hiring young high school dropouts is a business risk, but it’s an important investment in humans, and a puzzle that leaves you wondering who failed, the school or the student?” Ben Gacem wrote once in her blog. Her business isn’t solely about profits; it’s also about giving hope. “I believe that, especially in our region, giving hope to young people should be everyone’s priority,” she asserts. I can confirm that she walks the talk. She traveled with Mohamed Ali Douiri, one of her employees, to participate in a panel at the World Urban Forum. Having dropped out of high school and done nothing for several years, she asked him to become a receptionist at one of her hotels, and now “He is our director.” “I’m so proud of him,” she says, her eyes welling with emotion.
He has also become a role model for other young people in the community. “He and his friends used to think that life could only improve if they left this community. But now they say, ‘Dar Ben Gacem made us realize we can improve it here,’” Ben Gacem shares. “It may be a mouthful, but this is my raison d’être.”
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The potential is indeed inside the Medina of Tunis. The restoration of her hotels and the regeneration of neglected public spaces have so many layers of achievements. “My business is in this community. I always tell people it makes business sense to support all these initiatives in public spaces because security is not the police; people on the streets and everywhere make people feel safe. Security keeps my business alive.”
Ben Gacem acknowledges that the revolution has brought substantial freedom to public spaces. She explains that young people born after the revolution have a different view of public life; they don’t see barriers. It is vital for them to gather in these spaces to ground their problems and nurture a sense of ownership. She laments that social media has made the youth feel a completely different reality like that “they are in New York.”
“I believe that in my country, and many others in this region, we underestimate the potential of our culture and heritage to create positive urban opportunities,” Ben Gacem says. As a member of a group of Tunisian impact investors who founded TUNISTORIC in 2022, she is committed to the inclusive urban regeneration of the Medina of Tunis. Their mission is to transform historic, abandoned buildings into economically viable opportunities through restoration and repurposing, with a focus on community inclusion.
TUNISTORIC connects public institutions, private entrepreneurs, and academics engaged in built heritage preservation, fostering dialogue on challenges and opportunities for collaboration. Preserving the Medina’s architectural heritage could enhance sustainable tourism initiatives that actively involve local communities and stimulate socio-economic development.
But how do you restore a building that belongs neither to a particular owner nor the state? Often, heirs prefer buildings to deteriorate rather than risk disputes with relatives. Specialized lawyers must trace family histories to identify all owners, but this can turn into the Tower of Babel. Ben Gacem bought one of her houses turned hotel from 34 owners after her lawyer found them scattered across the country. “It takes time. We also need investors because it’s labor- and time-intensive work,” she explains. “We can show the public sector how to transform buildings into vocational schools or gardens, or we can attract investors for private buildings to contribute to our mission. We can tell them, ‘Look, we have done it; we can help you do it’,” she adds.
Some buildings are not on national heritage lists because this would require the cash-strapped state to step in. Moreover, being designated a UNESCO heritage site can impose burdens on the community. Disadvantaged families looking for additional space cannot afford the artisan craftsmanship needed to obtain a license for restoration. Additionally, the UNESCO designation means that multiple stakeholders, including the municipality, the National Institute of Heritage (INP), and the Association of Medina Preservation (ASM) Patrimoine Association, often present contradictory requirements.
Ben Gacem aims to empower young people as local champions who can improve their community. She envisions them as ambassadors, instilling a sense of potential and commitment to drive positive urban transformation. “It first gives us hope, and then we can spread that hope beyond our community,” she says.
Finally, when asked about her relationship with the municipality, she immediately responds, “They are slow,” but acknowledges that they do accept projects because they see tangible results. “In Tunisia, we say, ‘if the government does not stop you, you’re lucky.’” My feeling is that Ben Gacem’s entrepreneurial talent is by any means unstoppable.
