Who is Tawhida Ben Cheikh? Google Doodle pays tribute to celebrated Tunisian doctor

The physician's portrait was added to a banknote in Tunisia last year

Tunisia's Tawhida Ben Cheikhwas a pioneer in women's medicine. Courtesy Google

Google has shone a spotlight on the achievements of Tunisian physician Tawhida Ben Cheikh, making the women's health pioneer the subject of a new illustration.

The late doctor was honoured with a Google Doodle on Saturday, marking the one-year anniversary of her appearance on Tunisia's 10-dinar bill.

The artwork shows the doctor, who died in 2010, with a stethoscope around her neck as she examines female patients and children.

The doodle appears on the search engine in numerous countries around the Mena region, including Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Who was Tawhida Ben Cheikh?

The doctor and activist, born in Tunis in 1909, is widely credited as the first female physician in the North African country.

After earning her medical degree in France, Ben Cheikh opened her own free clinic in Tunisia in 1936 and also established Leila, the first Tunisian, French-language magazine for women.

"A feminist pioneer both in and out of the medical field, Ben Cheikh helped transform Tunisian medicine by providing women better access to contemporary healthcare," said Google as it unveiled the doodle.

Here's to a medical trailblazer who made huge strides for gender equality in Tunisia and beyond

"On this day in 2020, the Tunisian government issued a new 10-dinar note emblazoned with Ben Cheikh’s portrait—the world’s first ever banknote to feature a female doctor."

Ben Cheikh specialised in gynaecology and obstetrics, and also worked as head of the maternity department at Tunis's Hospital Charles Nicolle.

"Here’s to a medical trailblazer who made huge strides for gender equality in Tunisia and beyond," added Google.

What are Google Doodles?

Google Doodles feature sporadically throughout the year, transforming Google’s traditional logo into an animation to pay tribute to an important figure or moment in history. The doodles can also mark seasonal or celebratory events.

While certain doodles are only shown to those in specific regions by the search engine, users are able to explore Google’s entire Doodle catalogue by visiting the dedicate Doodle page.

See other Google Doodles made for the Mena region:

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  A Google Doodle celebrating Egyptian actress Karima Mokhtar's 89th birthday. All images: Google

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  Egyptian writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous

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  Kuwaiti actor and comedian Abdulhussain Abdulredha's 83rd birthday

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  UAE National Day 2022 Google Doodle.

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  Ousha Al Suwaidi was a poetess from the United Arab Emirates.

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  Prof. Hamed Abdel Fattah Goher was an Egyptian oceanographer, scientist and TV presenter.

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  Tunisia's Tawhida Ben Cheikh was a pioneer in women's medicine.

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  Google Doodle of Egyptian actor and director Nour El-Sherif honours him on what would have been his 75th birthday.

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  Google celebrates Syrian-Egyptian composer and actor Farid Al Atrash with a Google Doodle to mark what would have been his 110th birthday.

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  Children's author Notaila Rashed is honoured with a special Google Doodle to mark her 86th birthday.

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  Egyptian actress, producer, writer and filmmaker Bahiga Hafez was born 112 years ago, on August 4.

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  The Google Doodle for January 20, 2020, celebrates Mufidah Abdul Rahman, Egypt's first female lawyer.

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  A Google Doodle on June 10, 2019, celebrates Egyptian author Ahmed Khaled Towfik.

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  Google Doodle honours Persian mathematician, poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam on what would have been his 971st birthday.

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  Mary Mounib was a renowned actress in the Egyptian cinema scene. Her 114th birthday is marked in a Google Doodle on February 11, 2019.

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  Egyptian poet Gamila El Alaily is honoured in a Google Doodle on March 20, 2019.

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  Syrian artist Louay Kayali is the subject of Google's doodle on January 20, 2019.

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  Egyptian-French singer and actress Dalida is honoured on her birthday by Google Doodle, on January 17, 2019.

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  Egyptian actress Hind Rostom is celebrated in a Google Doodle on her 87th birthday, on November 12, 2018.

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  Ibn Sina, one of the greatest thinkers of Islam's golden age, is honoured on August 7, 2018.

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  A Google Doodle honours Saudi musician Talal Maddah on what would have been his 78th birthday, on August 5, 2018.

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  A Google Doodle gif marks Egyptian actor Omar Sharif's birthday on April 10, 2018.

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  Egyptian poet Farouk Shousha is honoured by Google on what would have been his 82nd birthday, on January 9, 2018.

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  Google celebrates Lebanese singer Sabah's 90th birthday on November 10, 2017.

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  Egyptian painter Inji Aflatoun's Google Doodle pays homage to her style of bold brushstrokes.

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  Google celebrates the birthday of Algerian painter Mohammed Khadda, who was born on March 14, 1930.

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  Lebanese singer-songwriter Melham Barakat is honoured by Google on his birthday.