Sidi Abdallah Guech
Arabic) | |
Coordinates | 36°48′02″N 10°10′25″E / 36.8005951°N 10.1735688°E |
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Sidi Abdallah Guech street, officially known as "Impasse Sidi Abdallah Gueche"
Location
The dead end alley is located at the entrance to the Medina, a few hundred meters from the Al-Zaytuna Mosque and the souks. This narrow and discreet alley - fifty meters long and in some places only one meter wide[5] - hardly differs from the surrounding lanes.[6] It is located between the old Jewish quarter, the Hara, and the French quarter.[7]
On both sides of the alley there are small rooms in front of which the girls wait for their customers.[8]
History
Tolerated and then recognised by the authorities in 1942,[3] the alley was mainly frequented by Tunisians, Muslims or Jews during the French protectorate.[6] The women who worked there often come from underprivileged backgrounds, their clients also being for the most part poor men, many coming from Algeria.[6] For decades, this street was the only place where Jewish prostitutes could work.[7]
In 1942 the
Jasmine Revolution
Following the 2011
On 18 February 2011 a large group of fundamentalists, estimates vary between less than 100
Since then the street sign has been removed[1] and a notice put up 'Closed on Fridays and during Ramadan' to try and appease the fundamentalists.[3]
Status
Prostitution practised in this authorised location, supervised by the State, is not an offence.[11] As a result, the prostitutes of Sidi Abdallah Guech, who have the status of civil servants,[5] are placed under the control of the services of the Ministry of Public Health and pay taxes.[10] In 2011, a total of 238 prostitutes were registered of which nearly 50 visited the local health centre daily.[10]
Literature
Sidi Abdallah Guech is mentioned by several authors of Tunisian literature. Būrāwī Ṭarābulusī mentions the alley several times in Thunis Thanatos.[12] Abdelmajid Bouslama, in Les portes du Menzel, described it as a place of initiation for the young narrator given that extramarital relationships are very frowned upon by society.[13] Tahar Fazaa includes it in Chroniques hebdo as part of the history of prostitution in Tunisia, pointing out that Jewish prostitutes were located there.[14]
References
- ^ a b c d "Abdallah Gueche rebaptisée ?" [Abdallah Gueche renamed?]. Webdo (in French). 10 March 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Omlin, Christina. "The Big Reveal". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. Qantara. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Smoltczyk, Alexander (5 December 2012). "Salafist Intimidation Campaign Threatens Young Democracy in Tunisia". Der Spiegel - International. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "What We Don't Know about Sex in the Middle East". Zocalo. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ a b Passer, Christophe (26 January 2011). "Tunisie: "Il nous reste à apprendre à être libres"" [Tunisia: "We still have to learn to be free"]. Le Temps (in French). Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b c "Les prostituées de l'impasse Abdallah Guech: la "fierté" de Tunis | …" [The prostitutes of the dead end Abdallah Guech: the "pride" of Tunis]. France 24 (in French). 28 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b Larguèche, Abdelhamid; Larguèche, Dalenda (1992). Marginales en terre d'Islam [Marginal in the land of Islam] (in French). Cérès. pp. 40–41.
- ^ a b Hammouche, Ahmed (7 July 2011). "(Artikel ohne Titel)". La Liberté (in French). Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Tunisie: les islamistes s'en prennent aux prostituées" [Tunisia: Islamists attack prostitutes]. MY TFI News (in French). 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d Bensaied, Imed (18 March 2011). "Les islamistes s'attaquent aux maisons closes" [Islamists attack brothels]. France 24 (in French). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Tunisie: La tragédie humaine de la prostitution" [Tunisia: The human tragedy of prostitution]. Nawaat (in French). 24 August 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ISBN 978-9973-704-20-7.
- ISBN 978-9973-704-18-4.
- ISBN 978-9973-827-00-5.
Further reading
- Kerrou, Mohamed; M'halla, Moncef (1993). "La prostitution dans la médina de Tunis au XIXe et XXe siècles AAN" [Prostitution in the medina of Tunis in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries]. North Africa Yearbook, National Center for Scientific Research; Institute for Research and Studies on the Arab and Muslim World (in French). Paris: 201–221.
- Sebag, Paul; Attal, Robert (1959). L'Évolution d'un ghetto nord-africain. La hara de Tunis [The evolution of a North African ghetto. The hara of Tunis] (in French). Presses universitaires de France.
- Soupault, Ré (2001). Metzner, Manfred (ed.). Frauenportraits aus dem 'Quartier reserve' in Tunis [Portraits of Women in the Quartier Reserve in Tunis] (in German). Das Wunderhorn. ISBN 9783884231401.
- Taraud, Christelle (2003). La prostitution coloniale: Algérie, Tunisie, Maroc, 1830-1962 [Colonial Prostitution: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, 1830-1962] (in French). Payot. ISBN 9782228897051.