Midayna is located in the Tunisian governorate of el Kef, 11 km southwest from the town Dahmani in the governorate of el Kef. Originally a Berber village, it has been settled by the Carthaginians at the end of the 3^rd century BC until the Romans took over in the 2^nd century BC. Ruins from this period, amongst them a forum and a Roman bath, remained and today represent a tourist attraction.

Ruins of Midayna

Ruins of Midayna

Midayna

Park

Fountain

Park entrance

Mosque

Gate

Communication road to Algeria

Impressions of Segya 2

Impressions of Saqya 1

Many tribes passed the place in transit. The tribesman Sidi Youssef ed-Dahmani (Sīdi Yūsuf id-Dahmǟni) of the huge Hilalian Riah branch was amongst them . Himself a former robber, Sidi Youssef decided to change sides and started fighting brigandage. Thus, the transit place was dedicated to Sidi Youssef, who is also known as the medieval saint of Dahmani.

In the woods of Saqiat

Pine tree

Pine cone

View over Segya from top

Nowadays, the place is characterized by a hilly landscape with pine trees and its quiet surroundings. However, Sakiet Sidi Youssef witnessed even in recent history commotions. Located on the Algerian-Kefian communication road, only a few kilometers from the border, the town in February 1958 sadly gained international attention. During the Algerian Revolution, the inhabitants of Sakiet Sidi Youssef had been supporting refugees bolting from the adjoining Algerian village Souk Ahras. Subsequently, the French occupation forces retaliated against this assistance and bombarded the Tunisian town, too. This reprisal attack led to more than 60 dead and even more injured people.

Roundabout

Location on the border

Cemetry of Segya

7oumna - "our hood"

In this area of low population density, most residents run their own farms. Traditionally olive trees have been planted under the advantageous climatic conditions the place offers. Provided that there is any access to a water source, people nowadays cultivate a wealth of further vegetables and fruits.

Harvesting crops

Planted salad

Grazing sheep

Growing tomatos

Organic farming

Cute cat

Sbiat is a rural place in the south of the Tunisian el Kef governorate between the towns of Tajerouine and Jerissa. According to local sources, the name Sbiat traces back to a branch of the big Berber tribe of the Huwara (Huwāra) that are of Tripolitanian origin. Most people are engaged in farming and cultivate, in particular, cereals and olives, but also fruits like figs and the pip fruit zaʕrūr. Moreover, many locals work in the cement industry of Jerissa, which is only 6 km from Sbiat.

Rawaa from Gafsa

Wiss from el Kef

Yosra from Siliana

Nidhal from Kasserine

Sarah from Tunis

Khayri from Kasserine

Gladly friends and those who became friends over the course of the work helped us out. Welcome to our new colleagues Rawaa and May from Gafsa, Wiss from el Kef, Yosra from Siliana, Sarah from Tunis as well as Khayri, Nidhal and a further new colleague from Kasserine! Moreover, the Austrian Embassy in Tunis kept on supporting the TUNOCENT field research and thus, the entire project.

“It was a great experience to be part of the TUNOCENT project. Even though creating a relaxed atmosphere and encouraging people to talk was not easy, it deserves the try! I had the chance to meet exceptional people; the beautiful thing is the paradox between the happiness of the people I met and the lack of comfort that they are facing. The extraordinary beauty of those places in my precious country amazed me. Finally, I want to thank you for this opportunity even though it was only for a short period but it was remarkable for me.” (Sarah)

While our actual researcher team kept themselves busy with explaining, coordinating and managing, their new colleagues found themselves facing the challenging job of field research. Despite being locals, it proved difficult to them, too. Although the interviewers were Tunisians, some people used standard Arabic even after being reminded to talk in their local dialect multiple times, Wiss reports. Others, in turn, were unable to translate the requested sentences because of their different education levels.  

“Some persons were difficult to deal with, others were more  friendly and open minded.” (Khayri)

“I learnt to exercise patience and got to know many new people. Being part of the TUNOCENT team was an honour for me and made me happy!” (Yosra)

For other people the recordings simply took too much time and concentration. Many people for instance did not understand what a dialectal research is about and doubted in it, Wiss explains. Convincing people to cooperate was a difficulty in this job, Nidhal agrees. Yosra continues that some people even associated her with politics and suspected her to work as politician. May shares this experience:  

“I am very happy to be a part of the TUNOCENT team. In fact, it gave me the opportunity to discover new places in my country. It is each time an adventure: I listen to new stories about the history of the places and very amusing myths. Also meeting new different people and watch their behavior, live with them their daily life and taste their traditional food was so fun for me. Despite these pleasing parts, I have faced some problems. At the beginning 15 hours seemed so easy to collect but then I discovered is not easy at all. In fact, it is not that evident to find someone who wants to talk for more than 30 minutes. Finding the perfect environment (no noise, no children …) for the recording is very hard, too. Still, the most annoying thing is explaining people that you are not a spy.” (May)

This attitude complicated the matters. As male researchers, Khayri and Wiss experienced also women’s refusal of recording. Furthermore, all our new colleagues had struggles with the transportation. Nevertheless, Rawaa, May, Wiss, Khayri, Yosra, Sarah and Nidhal eventually were very glad to be part of our team. They gained exciting experiences and shared their best moments with us.  

“I liked this work very, very much because I got to know a lot of things about my country of which I was not aware before. Even customs from other places that are not far from my hometown were new to me! Moreover, I got in touch with very kind new people!” (Rawaa)

“I very much enjoyed listening to the stories of elders. Thereby, I learnt new things and got insights about how my own people used to live in previous times. Also, I joked with the interviewees and we had fun.” (Wiss)

Nidhal describes his job experience as a change of perspective. Learning about the life of locals in his own region, he started to focus on details.

“This job is an amazing experience for me. It opens my eyes as I am going through a journey of self-discovery. I feel like an alien trying to learn about life here. Words cannot capture my gratitude for this opportunity. I won’t look at my country the same way as I did before.” (Nidhal)

As part of the VICAV project, the collection and transcription of sample text recordings is embedded in a transnational comparison of Arab dialect varieties. At the same time, the possibility to compare sample text readings of so many different reference points within just one country is unique within this project!

Working on the spot, Ilona, Aleksandra and Franziska sometimes had to remind their interviewees to keep on talking their dialect – ­and not just reading the given text as it is written. Working on its transcription, nevertheless, means going much more into details and focusing on the linguistic nuances.

Aleksandra reports:

Within the municipality of Er Rouhia the dialect of is-Skārna is famous for its unique lexical expressions. Folk etymology has it that the name of the town is derived from ir-rūḥ hīya “It is the spirit”. Er Rouhia used to be a vivid center of spiritual life, famous for its zrid-ceremonies (singular zarda “feast celebrated in honour of a saint”), in the course of which the local population as well as people from other parts of Tunisia visited the saints’ tombs (e.g. Umm id-Dlǟl, Sīdi l-Hǟdi, Ḥmid Bū ʕĪn, Sīdi ʕAlī). After the revolution in 2011 these activities stopped and have shown a slow revival within the last years.

 

Municipality

View of the city

Coffee Bou Makhlouf

Part of the wall which surrounded the city in past times

Flora

Theme park

Mosque El Qadriya

Mosque Ali bin Saleh

People gather on Thursday's market

Crafted cushions and carpets

Grilling pepper

Tunisian fast food Mlewi from the Thursday's market

At the museum

Researcher Franzi in the museum

Traditional women clothes in the museum

Old working tools in the museum

El Kef is the capital of its eponymous Tunisian governorate. It is located in the northwestern part of the country in the Tunisian-Algerian border region. However, beyond Tunisia’s touristic regions, the small town provides interesting insights into Tunisia’s cultural and historical heritage.

Romain baths

Researcher Franzi in front the Romain baths ruins

Flowers planted within the area of the Romain baths

Romain baths

Ruins of a Roman bath (ḥammām) evoke the country’s antique past, while the Kasbah (qaṣba), a fort with a view over the whole town, goes back to the time of Ottoman rule.

Inside the Kasbah: beautiful stairs

Guns of the Kasbah

Entrance of the Kasbah

View of the city from the the Kasbah

Guns of and view from the Kasbah

The Kasbah Illuminated at Night

An old synagogue in the centre of El Kef as well as a Jewish and a Christian cemetery are for their part a witness of the former times’ religious diversity.

On the way to the Synagogue de la Ghriba

Entrance of the Synagogue de la Ghriba

Yard with Ruins of the Synagogue de la Ghriba

Inside the Synagogue de la Ghriba

Jewish and Christian cemeteries

In addition to the mosque, the mausoleum of the local saint Sidi Bou Makhlouf (Sīdi Bū Maxlūf) is one of the holy places people visit even nowadays.

Tombs of Bou Makhlouf

Tombs of Bou Makhlouf

Tombs of Bou Makhlouf

Tombs of Bou Makhlouf

While historical traces are omnipresent, professional graffiti arts embellishes roads, paths and public places showing the modern side of El Kef.

El Kef and its graffiti art(ists)

Graffiti of Bou Makhlouf

Graffiti of a dove by Wiss

Graffiti calligraphy I

Graffiti calligraphy II

Graffiti calligraphy III

Graffiti of an old man

Graffiti of a Berber woman

Kefian proverb

Graffiti on a park entrance

Graffiti of old men playing basketball

Ornated vase

Artist Wiss in front of his graffiti of an eye

Some Kefian artists even integrate the town’s past into their work, using El Kef’s former Latin name Sicca Veneria as a graffiti motif:

Graffiti SICCA

Graffiti VENIRIA

Tajerouine, a Berber toponym, is a town in the south-western part of the Tunisian governorate El Kef. Usually two possible etymologies, both referring to Berber nouns, are given for this toponym: One is the plural of the Berber word for “frog” (in turn going back to the respective Latin and Greek word), the other the Berber expression for “a piece of land between two mountains or hills”.

Due to the town’s geographic location, the weekly market (sūg) of Tajerouine serves as a social meeting place not only for locals but also for people from the adjacent governorate of Kasserine and the neighbouring country Algeria. Because of its rural character and its closeness to the Algerian border, the market offers both regional agricultural products as well as international goods.

Fresh regional vegetables

Herbes in the market place