Degree of Respect for Authenticity in the House’s Restorations of the Medina of Tunis

Abstract

Tunisia has seven sites inscribed on the world heritage list and one natural site. The Medina of Tunis has been registered there since 1979. It has about seven hundred monuments including palaces, mosques, mausoleums and also luxurious residences that have been restored by different actors. There are three actors responsible for the restoration of houses in the Medina of Tunis, the National Heritage Institute, the Medina’s Safeguard Association and private investors. Although Tunisia has participated, through its experts, in the drafting of international heritage charters, such as the Venice Charter, and has approved documents such as Nara’s document on authenticity, each actor restores in his own way. In this research, we want to evaluate the degree of respect for the authenticity and the principles of good restoration of the operations carried out by the three actors intervening in the houses in the Medina of Tunis. The study initially aims to define the general principles, then to evaluate the degree of respect for these principles and authenticity, by identifying the characteristics of the restorations of each actor and, finally, to draw general recommendations. We select the Model of Analysis, Theory and Architectural Experimentation as an analysis model. The corpus under investigation includes twelve houses restored in the Medina of Tunis, with four for each actor. It is found that the Medina’s Safeguard Association is considered as the most respectful of the good restoration principles and authenticity with 70%. But contrary to what has been believed, the private restorations exceeded the National Heritage Institute with a respect of 65% leaving it in the last position with 59%. The study reveals the restoration tendency of the three actors. The tendency of the restorations of the Medina’s Safeguard Association, with its architectural culture, integrates the respect for authenticity, historical and aesthetic values, which show the new additions. They adapt the houses to their new function and try to integrate harmoniously the new equipment. The tendency of private restorations is based on the respect for authenticity, historical and aesthetic values, by showing the new additions with minimal intervention and adapting houses to their new function, with a harmonious integration of new equipment. The approach of the National Heritage Institute is based on the culture of archaeology and history, which promotes restitution of the historical aspect and the original style, but neglects the integration of new reversible materials and new equipment. The different restoration characteristics allow us to determine general recommendations of good restoration practice. These recommendations tend to integrate restoration norms in legislation, to publish restorations, to encourage effective coordination between the National Heritage Institute and the Medina’s Protection Association, to create a partnership with the private sector and to harmonize intervention on the heritage, which no longer depends on the actors’ culture.