Dar Hassine Allani Museum

Dar Hassine Allani Museum

DAR HASSINE ALLANI is a beautiful house in TUNISIA typically Kairouan transformed into a guest house and a museum for its beautiful example of Arab-Muslim architecture of the eighteenth century, located in the tourist circuit of the medina of Kairouan a few minutes from the great “OKBA” mosque. The museum reveals details of the way of life of its former inhabitants, their cultures, traditions, religions and their art of living.

     The main entrance to the house has three “Skifa” vestibules, which are rooms that form a screen of separation between the outside and inside world.

     The "majless" bedrooms each include two symmetrical alcoves isolated by a richly decorated wooden panel

"Hanout hajem" and covered by a light veil. The same bedroom contains two "Maqsura" (secondary rooms) or are crammed with private things or even a small sofa "couch". The walls are covered with handmade earthenware tiles. the ceilings are wooden joists painted in the 18th century by Kairouannais craftsmen.

    An underground that we call "Dahliz" the cellar, characterized by an ambient temperature helping to supply foodstuffs such as couscous, olive oil, honey, etc ... An impluvium "majel" kind of underground cistern intended to collect rainwater. A small room called "kommi" for the work of tapestry and weaving of the famous Kairouannais carpet.

      In the kitchen, with its old equipment and copper services, there is a "Bir" well. All the rooms open onto an interior courtyard, an open-air "west eddar" flowered patio, decorated with handcrafted earthenware and with tiling. in white marble.

Upstairs there are other rooms to discover, there is an exhibition room of old 18th century manuscripts such as the Koran, marriage contracts and other family wonders.

     On the terrace, in front of a magnificent panorama, we offer you a moment of peace and serenity while sipping with delight mint tea or Turkish coffee with Kairouan makroudhs. The atmosphere, the decor, the traditional music and the view from the minaret of the great OKBA mosque and the entire old medina will delight visitors, definitely, the anti-stress city.