The first president of Tunisia was Bourguiba. Arabian tale - Tunisia. Monastir. Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba (Bourguiba Mausoleum). Early life and education

On the territory of the ancient Muslim cemetery of Sidi El Mezri, in the city of Monastir, in its western part the Bourguiba mausoleum rises, you can walk to it along a wide alley, the entrance to the building is decorated with two high minarets with gilded domes, each of them is 25 meters high, they can be seen still on the way to construction.

The mausoleum is a beautiful building, decorated with a central golden dome, as well as two green domes located on either side of the main one. Behind the golden dome there is another green one, small in size. The mosque is decorated with marble, stone carvings and ceramics.

The building of the Habib Bourguiba Mausoleum was built in 1963 for the burial of Bourguiba himself and his family members. His parents are buried here. The first wife and other relatives, the building was completed twice for their burial, in 1978 and 1980. The museum's exhibition, open to the public, contains documents, personal belongings and photographs of Bourguiba.

Bourguiba was a well-known and revered political figure both in the country and abroad, he actively promoted freedom. In the period 1957-1987 he was the first president of the republic. During his administration, many reforms were carried out, both economic and social. The most important of them: expanding women's rights and banning polygamy. Increasing the level of education and allowing divorce procedures, expanding private property rights. Bourguiba was removed from governing Tunisia after the Jasmine Revolution in 1987. He died in April 2000, when he was 96 years old, his body rests in a sarcophagus in the mausoleum building.

When visiting the Monastir, be sure to visit the Ribat Khartema Fortress - once a powerful defensive structure, and now the Museum of Islamic Art and simply a religious shrine.

Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba on the map of Monastir

On the territory of the ancient Muslim cemetery of Sidi El Mezri, in the city of Monastir, in its western part the Bourguiba mausoleum rises, you can walk to it along a wide alley, the entrance to the building is decorated with two high minarets with gilded domes, the height of each of them is 25 meters, they can be seen still on the way to construction.

The mausoleum is a beautiful building, decorated with a center..." />

Habib Ben Ali Bourguiba was born on August 3, 1903 in Monastir (Tunisia), into a petty-bourgeois family. He received his initial education at the College of Tunis, and in 1927 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of the Sorbonne University and the Higher School of Political Sciences in Paris. Returning to Tunisia in 1927, Habib began practicing law.

Since 1930, he actively participated in the national liberation movement of the Dustur party. Bourguiba also published in the party newspaper and was the publisher of a number of other newspapers, and gained fame as the author of articles directed against French colonialism and the monarchical regime.

In 1934, after the split of Dustur, Habib and his supporters founded the New Dustur party, which led the Tunisian people's struggle for independence. Bourguiba became its secretary general, and from 1938 - chairman.

During these years, he was repeatedly arrested by the French colonial authorities for agitating against them.

As a result, the party was banned, Bourguiba was arrested and transferred to a military prison in France. During the Second World War, Bourguiba openly stated that he was confident in the defeat of Germany and Italy, called on the Tunisian people to fight the fascists and was imprisoned by the Germans.

In 1949, he returned to his homeland, where he continued the political struggle for independence.

But in 1952, he was again arrested and expelled from the country, where he returned three years later. After Tunisia declared independence in 1956, Bourguiba headed the government, becoming the first prime minister of the Republic of Tunisia.

In 1957, the National Constituent Assembly abolished the monarchy, and Habib was elected president of the country and was re-elected to this post two more times. Bourguiba carried out a number of major economic and political reforms in Tunisia.

In particular, the large-scale expansion of women's rights, increasing the level of secondary and higher education, prohibited polygamy and introduced a legal procedure for divorce. Under him, Sharia law was abolished, the modernization of the country began, and the preconditions for economic growth were laid.

During the 1960s and 70s, Bourguiba persistently strengthened the system of state power.

In 1963, all political parties except the pro-government one were banned, and then the government itself was purged. Gradually, Bourguiba's cult of personality began to take shape, and in 1975 he was proclaimed president for life of the country.

In the early 1980s, he legalized opposition political parties, but the growing Islamic fundamentalists took advantage of this and anti-government unrest swept across the country. The president brutally dealt with the conspirators, and repressions also affected the secular opposition.

In November 1987, during a bloodless coup d'etat, Bourguiba was removed from his post “for health reasons” and placed under house arrest. Habib Ben Ali Bourguiba died in Monastir on April 6, 2000, and was buried with honors.

In connection with his death, a week of national mourning was declared in Tunisia.

The city of Monastir was the birthplace of the great and powerful Habib Bourguiba, the first president of independent Tunisia. Bourguiba was born here on August 3, 1903. From a young age, he began a movement to agitate against the French colonial authorities, for which he was arrested several times. After the end of the war, he traveled around European countries, collecting money in support of the anti-colonial movement in Tunisia. On July 25, 1957, his goal was achieved - Tunisia was proclaimed a republic, and Habib Bourguiba became its president. He carried out a number of major social, economic and political reforms in Tunisia, for which he is still revered not only by Monastir, but by the whole of Tunisia.
During his lifetime, in 1963, Habib Bourguiba built a mausoleum, which was intended as a tomb for himself and for members of his family.

general description

In the western part of the ancient Muslim cemetery is the mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba. A wide alley leads to it. Of all the museums located in this small town, perhaps the most unusual monument that cannot be missed is the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba in Monastir. Its appearance bears some resemblance to the way mosques look: two slender octagonal minarets of magnificent Italian limestone flanked by a huge golden ribbed dome in the center and two small green domes on each side. Behind the golden dome is another green one, smaller in size. Bourguiba himself is buried inside the Monastir mausoleum (the sarcophagus is located in the main building, under the golden dome), his parents, first wife and close relatives (in the next building, next to the green dome).
Long paved paths lead to the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba. At the end there are two octagonal pavilions with Arabic inscriptions on the inside.
Around the main building there are beautiful corridors large enough to provide shelter from Monastir's scorching sun. Along the corridors, on the sides, there are elaborately decorated columns with inscriptions in Arabic, which are also written on their inner parts.
At the end of a long asphalt road there is a beautiful gate with artistic forging. They are located in front of the building with the main entrance to the Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba. The outside of the building is decorated with marble, stone carvings and ceramic sculptures.
The Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba has a very impressive appearance, not only from the outside, but also from the inside. The building itself was built in a modern style - after 1963, the Manastir mausoleum underwent construction and expansion twice (in 1978 and 1980), until the death of Bourguiba himself in 2000.
The main sarcophagus is made of marble. It is installed in a separate room on a pedestal. This is exactly the place where the body of the great politician rests in Monastir.
From inside you can climb the stairs leading to the top of the mausoleum. From there you have a magnificent view of the surroundings of the tomb. From here you can see the golden dome up close.
The Habib Bourguiba Mausoleum in Monastir contains some of the president's personal belongings. Including his desk and chair, clothes, glasses and other items. All this is located in the museum exhibition, open to visitors to the Monastir mausoleum.
Here you can also see several of his portraits taken in different periods. The special appearance of the buildings of the Habib Bourguiba mausoleum has been used more than once as a backdrop for films. Especially for those set in ancient times. The doors of the mausoleum are open to visitors every day, there is no entrance fee.

The mausoleum was built in the western part of the cemetery, construction was completed in 1963. The courtyard and cladding are made of white Carrara marble, one of the most valuable varieties in the world. The cost of the project was not disclosed.

In the 70s, Habib Bourguiba had already carefully prepared for his death. In 1976, his marble coffin was made. He left precise instructions to his son Habib Jr. on which world leaders to invite to the funeral; the funeral was to be delayed for two days to allow these leaders to attend. Habib planned a ceremonial procession for his body from the Palace of Carthage in Tunisia to Monastir.

These plans were not destined to come true. Habib Bourguiba died in his home in Monastir on April 6, 2000, and there was no talk of any procession.

Habib Bourguiba was buried in the mausoleum on April 8 after a small honorary ceremony at his home and a religious ceremony at the Habib Bourguiba Mosque. Leaders of other countries were present: Jacques Chirac (President of France), Abdelaziz Bouteflika (President of Algeria), Yasser Arafat (Palestinian leader), Mohammed Hosni Mubarak (President of Egypt). The ceremony was short and not even broadcast on television. 7 days of mourning were declared in Tunisia.

An interesting fact is that by that time the relatives of Habib Bourguiba were already buried in the mausoleum, but we will talk about this a little later.

What to watch

In front of the alley, pay attention to two mini-mausoleums. The first of them is called “Mausoleum of Martyrs in the Struggle for Independence”; several people are now buried here. The second is intended for condolences, that is, wreaths are placed here on memorable dates.

Walking along the alley, you will come to the central gate, which is closed. This gate is worth admiring, although the decoration on it no longer shines as much as before. See a small gallery of photos below, click on the photo to enlarge.

Turn right and walk along the fence, after 100 meters there will be an entrance for visitors. There you will go through security control and you can see the mausoleum.

The courtyard of the mausoleum is small - approximately 20 by 30 meters. The perimeter of the courtyard is surrounded by a beautiful colonnade, just as is done in the courtyards of mosques.

The towers (we cannot call them minarets, since this is not a mosque) are 25 meters high. The gilded central dome and the secondary domes are green and look beautiful. The arrangement of the domes exactly replicates the architecture of a classical Maghreb mosque.

The main entrance to the mausoleum is a massive bronze door. Pay attention to the inscription: “Great fighter. Builder of the new Tunisia. Women's Liberator." Attention, this entrance is closed! See a small gallery of photos below, click on the photo to enlarge.

Two doors lead inside, both are located to the right of the central entrance (bronze door). Through the first door you can go upstairs to the balcony, from where you can look at the marble sarcophagus from all sides from the height of the second floor (). Most visitors do not know about this door and balcony.

The second door leads to the first floor. Along the corridor on the left there will be a grate through which you can look at the sarcophagus. Naturally, Habib Bourguiba’s body is covered; in Islamic countries it is not customary to display the body. Pay attention to the stand for reading the Koran.

There are three rooms on the right along the corridor. Relatives of Habib Bourguiba are buried in two of them, and in the central room there is a small museum with personal belongings. The most important and interesting personal belongings of Habib Bourguiba are exhibited in two places: here in the mausoleum and in