03/01/2026
The Tunisia Office of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University Invites you to the Third Edition of:
LEARNING FROM THE MEDINA
A Series on Historical Landscapes, Indigenous Urban Knowledge, and Sustainable Practices
Moderated by:
Gareth Doherty
Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Friday, January 09, 2026
05:00-07:00 PM (Tunis)
This event will be held in person.
Admission Free
Third Edition Panelists:
Jamila Binous
“A Brief Urban History of the Medina of Tunis: A Mediterranean City Between Two Waterbodies”
Jamila Binous is an urbanist and historian of the city of Tunis, with a lifelong career at the Association for the Safeguarding of the Medina of Tunis (ASM). She studied History and Geography at the University of Tunis, and Urbanism at the University of Tours in France. In 1967, she joined the embryonic Bureau d ‘Etude AUASM, which gradually merged with the ASM to form the association that would later gain international recognition for its work in preserving the urban heritage of Tunis.
In the 1970s, she was part of the team that conducted a systematic survey of the Medina and produced a 1:250 scale map, an unprecedented achievement that played a crucial role in the inscription of the Medina of Tunis as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in October 1979. Through her work at ASM, Binous participated in developing the Plan d’Aménagement for the Medina which defined major revitalization zones of the historic city. The Hafsia project - one of these initiatives to be completed- won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture twice, in 1983 and 1995. Throughout the 1980s, Jamila Binous served as Secretary-General of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) Tunisia. She was appointed to the International Committee of Historic Towns and Villages at UNESCO and ICOMOS and co-authored the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas, adopted in 1987. Her scholarship and public engagement have played a central role in raising awareness of the historical and architectural value of the Medina of Tunis through research, conferences, and guided heritage tours.
Publications by Jamila Binous include: Houses of the Medina: Tunis (2002) co authored with Salah Jabeur, an illustrated exploration of domestic architecture in the Medina of Tunis. Tunis (1985), co authored with Fatma Ben Becher and Jellal Abdelkafi, a study of the city’s history and urban fabric.
Adnen el Ghali
“The City by the Buhayra Shores: The Formation of the Lake Quarter in Medieval and Ottoman Tunis”
Adnen el Ghali is an architect and urban planner, holding degrees in political science and a doctorate in history from the Université libre de Bruxelles. He is currently a research fellow at the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Turin, where he contributes to the ERC Consolidator Grant project REDMIX (2023), Unpacking Mixedness for an Inclusive History of the Red Sea, 1800s–2000s. A former fellow of the École Française de Rome and the Academia Belgica in Rome, Adnen el Ghali is a member of the Association for the Safeguarding of the Medina (ASM) of Tunis and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). His research bridges architecture, urbanism, history, and diplomatic studies, with a focus on heritage, consular history, and the interplay between spatial form and political representation.
El Ghali’s publications include: Quand la diplomatie fait la ville: Le quartier consulaire du Tunis ottoman (2025), a book that examines how European consular institutions shaped the urban landscape of Ottoman Tunis; and La route des consuls: Les territoires de la diplomatie à Tunis (2015), which reconstructs the historical trajectory of diplomatic spaces within the medina of Tunis.
Imen Labidi
“Sebkhet Sejoumi between Degradation and Resilience: An Urban Wetland on the Fringes of the Medina of Tunis”
Imen Labidi is a wetland conservation specialist with expertise in environmental project management, biodiversity protection, sustainable development, and citizen engagement. Her work advocates for an inclusive environmental culture and the resilience of Tunisian ecosystems. She has been actively involved in the preservation of Sebkhet Sejoumi, a major ecological site in the city of Tunis, adjacent to its historic Medina, designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 2007, and facing increasing threats from large-scale urbanization and pollution.
Imen Labidi is also a conservation trainer and academic facilitator. She serves as Tunisia’s focal point for the World Wetlands Network. She is active within Les Amis des Oiseaux (BirdLife Tunisia) and Réseau Enfants de la Terre, where she has coordinated internationally funded projects focusing on conservation, climate justice, environmental education, participatory monitoring, and innovative ecological solutions. She is a member of the IUCN Dung Beetle Specialist Group and the Entomological Society of France (SEF). She holds a PhD in Biology and Ecology from the University of Tunis El Manar.
Questions: [email protected].
Event Page : https://cmestunisia.fas.harvard.edu/calendar/upcoming
