The 1st episode of Season 2 of “Alf Thneya we Thneya”, capsule of 1001 Tunisie sponsored by the Arab Tunisian Bankhttps://www.facebook.com/ArabTunisianBank/ )takes us this week to discover a secular practice of the city of Kairouan; the auction of carpets.

Who says Kairouan, says almost automatically carpets!

And in Kairouan, selling carpet is an important economic activity. Twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays and from 12h to 13h, is an original and surprising show. An auction sale during which dozens of carpets are sold at auction. Report listening to the capsule broadcast on Express Fm radio in the following posdcast:

As soon as the carpets leave “Dar Ettabaâ” (official certification institution), they are presented and sold in the “Souk Erbaâ”, covered market, downtown Kairouan. Artisans quickly give their approval for the price of each piece to “Dellel” which quickly enters the game and gives the tempo to the market.

Cracker and relay, it has a very important role in the success of transactions. It is he who drives the sales, discusses with the craftswomen and solicits the buyers. Moreover, it is he who organizes the parade.

Oh yes ! The carpet auction in Kairouan is not just an auction, it’s a real fashion show for carpets. The “dellel”, which has the sense of the spectacle, a voice that carries and a punished vocabulary to make a living cash 2% of the price of sales.

Here, the relationship between producers and buyers is healthy. The transactions are cash and all stakeholders spend their time talking about the colors of “megoums”, their sizes, trends to produce more and sell better.

The market is then a space for dialogue and consultation. Well organized, it is a precise and rigorous ceremonial that is applied to it. It is based on trust. Built on the talent of craftswomen and the knowledge of the buyer, able, in the blink of an eye, to recognize the value of the piece for sale, it is a surprising ballet of expertise.


“Alf Thneya we Theneya”, in partnership with Arab Tunisian Bank is broadcast every Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Express FM (103.6 Mhz in Tunis, 104 Mhz in Sfax, 100.2 Mhz in Bizerte, 106 Mhz in Cape Bon, 91.1 Mhz in Sousse, 104.5 Mhz in Mahdia and Monastir).

Producer : Amel Djait for 1001Tunisie.com. Photographs: Pierre Gassin.
Production : Express FM. Executive producer: Streaming HD