Dar Bach Hamba

Dar Bach Hamba is a monument of an old palace in the medina of Tunis, Tunisia.

Dar Bach Hamba has witnessed many modifications in its architecture through the decades that made it one of the richest palaces in the medina. Yet, these modifications made it very difficult for historians to get precise information about the date of its foundation that is estimated to be in the 17th century.^[1]

The palace was founded by the Rassa family (coming from Tlemcen since the Hafsid dynasty). Later, during the 18th century, the Naccache family bought it. In 1789, Haj Ahmed Bach Hamba bought it in the reign of Hammuda ibn Ali and gave it its name. The palace later became a property of French sisters who used it as a school during the French protectorate of Tunisia.^[1]

From the 17th to the 18th century, the palace was a house for craftsmen. It has been considered to be a first class residence (like those belonging to the bourgeois and the nobles of the medina). The palace has its own turba at Sidi Tijani Street and another house (Dar Bakir) is annexed to it.

It has a classical architectural plan as have most of the palaces in the medina in Tunis (Dar Lasram, Dar Ben Abdallah, Dar Ben Hassine, etc.) with a patio surrounded by four richly decorated rooms on each side. Yet, unlike other palaces where the porticoes are built face to face, Dar Bach Hamba has a portico on the northern side and another one on the eastern one. One of the four rooms was converted into a chapel in 1932.^[1]