Tourbet el Bey, Tunis

The Tourbet el Bey is a large mausoleum located in the southwestern part of the Tunisian medina. It serves as the final resting place for most of the Husainid dynasty rulers of Tunisia. The building, constructed during the reign of Ali II ibn Hussein, is the largest funerary monument in Tunis and features domes covered in green tortoiseshell-shaped tiles and ochre sandstone facades decorated with pilasters and Italian-style entablatures.

Inside the mausoleum, there are eight funerary chambers containing tombs of the ruling family, their wives, ministers, and servants. The tombs are covered with marble chests adorned with bas relief and inscriptions, and the sarcophagi of men have columns topped with fezzes or turbans, while those of women have marble plaques at each end. The mausoleum is built around two patios, opening into a funerary chamber. The chamber of the beys is dominant in the complex and houses the tombs of thirteen reigning Beys.

The decoration inside the mausoleum is a blend of Italian, Ottoman, and local influences, with intricate polychrome marble marquetry covering the lower parts of the walls and pillars in the chamber of the beys. The ceilings feature stucco designs in geometric or plant patterns, some of which are polychrome, denoting the rank of the people buried in the chamber. The walls are covered in ceramic tiles imported from Italy or manufactured locally.