Tunis's dilapidated art deco architecture risks demolition - in pictures
In the centre of Tunis, dilapidated colonial-era Art Deco and Art Nouveau buildings risk demolition as heritage preservation falls prey to a lack of planning and eager developers. AFP
Built by Italian and French architects and business people, the buildings bear the weight of their association with colonialism. AFP
Tunisian men on the balcony of a building dating back almost a century in the capital Tunis. AFP
Built just outside Tunis's traditional Arab medina during the French colonial period of the 19th and 20th centuries, these buildings were meant to modernise the city. AFP
At least 160 dilapidated buildings in Tunisia that belonged to foreigners are at risk of collapse, according to the last official survey in 2019. AFP
Some residents carried out repairs that changed buildings' architectural heritage, while others are used as squats or rubbish dumps. AFP
In Tunis, some neighbourhoods are threatened by a draft law that seeks to destroy dilapidated buildings, potentially affecting about 5,000 structures. AFP
Europeans made up a large part of the Tunisian population at the start of the 20th century. AFP
European neighbourhoods developed in several cities. These included the Lafayette and Monfleury areas, and what is now Habib Bourguiba Avenue, named after the father of Tunisian independence, in Tunis. AFP
Local associations are calling for strategies to "preserve the historic architectural landscape". AFP
The prospects for restoration and preservation are bleak at a time when Tunisia is facing one of the worst economic and political crises in its history. AFP
The preservation of heritage, particularly European, is not a priority. AFP
