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Dar Loungo at Gafsa, Tunisia
Dar Loungo is an 18th century mansion consisting of many grand apartments built around a courtyard. Although many of Dar Loungo's original artifacts and all of its exterior designs have been removed, the villa still offers a beautiful and expansive view of Gafsa from its roof terrace [1]. Inside, Dar Loungo's structure reveals its history as a patrician residence with plenty of seating in the entrance, possibly for clients or tenant farmers who wished to visit with the family [2] and with its strikingly beautiful hand-painted and tiled ceilings which remain untouched. Dar Loungo is located just a few blocks away from the Jewish Bath and Roman Pools at Gafsa (قفصة, Capsa, גפצה). In fact, a path behind the large Roman pool leads to Rue Ali Belhouane where the recently restored Dar Loungo stands. In order to enter the mansion, one must speak with the house's caretaker, who should be available for tours mornings and afternoons in exchange for a small tip [3]. It is likely that Dar Loungo was named after the Loungo family, just as Gafsa's Dar el-Shariff was named for its builder Haj Osman el-Shariff [4]. "Loungo" is an Italian name also associated with Jews, which follows with the history of Italian Jews who settled in Tunisia during the late 17th and early 18th centuries [5]. Dar Loungo's history as a Jewish residence may be better understood by studying the history of Italian Jews in Tunisia.
Description
Italian Jews in Tunisia: Italian Jews from the town of Livorno were the first foreign community to settle in Tunisia [6]. As these Italian Jews began to settle in Tunisia, the Jewish community split into two separate groups: the new immigrants (called Gornim after the city of Livorno, but refered to as Grana by other Jews) and the natives (called Touansa after the Judeo-Arabic word for "Tunisians"). Both of these groups lived in the Hara-al-Yahud (Jewish quarter), but there was considerable tension between them due to the fact that the Gornim were considered foreign nationals, having retained their Italian citizenship, and thus maintained certain privileges while the Tousana were forced to abide by certain laws as second-class citizens. In the end, the Gornim established their own separate synagogue, cemetery, and Beth Din outside of the Hara-al-Yahud (since their status as foreign nationals allowed them to live outside of the Jewish quarter), and broke most of their ties with the Tousana. The establishment of a ritual abattoir by the Gornim hindered the Tousana's ability to raise taxes from meat purchases and also led to increased tensions between the two communities which were only healed by the hard work of both communities' rabbis [7]. By the 18th century, however, Jews of both communities gained new rights as European influence spread in Tunisia. Under the rule of Mohammed Bey from 1855-1859, restrictions on the Jewish community were finally revoked and a constitution, called the Pacte Fondamental, guaranteed equal rights to all Tunisians. As the constitution's fourth paragraph reads: "No manner of duress will be imposed upon our Jewish subjects, forcing them to change their faith, and they will not be hindered in the free observance of their religious rites. Their synagogues will be respected and protected from insult" and the sixth paragraph added, "When a criminal court is to pronounce the penalty imposed on a Jew, Jewish assessors shall be attached to the said court" [8].
Gafsa: Gafsa is a northern Tunisian town known for its location between the Mediterranean ports and trans-Saharan trading posts. The Jewish community in Gafsa appeared around the eighteenth century, and in 1830 the Sardinian consul reported about fifty Jewish families in the city. By 1921, the population of Gafsa's Jewish community had reached 626 as jobs in the phosphate industry opened and frontier soldiers were required. Gafsa's Jews were well-integrated into the Muslim economy, and the majority of the town's Jews worked as artisans. Although the Jewish community numbered at around 10 percent of Gafsa's population in 1921, that number fell to 5.6 percent in 1946 as French settlers and Tunisian Muslims moved into the town. Although Muslim-Jewish relations remained friendly and Gafsa was protected from Vichy's anti-Jewish laws throughout World War II, the Jewish population fell due to the economic stress following World War II and totalled just 320 in 1956. Jews began emigrating out of the country following Tunisian independence in 1956, and completely left Gafsa after the Six-Day War of 1967 [9].
Sources
[1] "Gafsa: Traditional Quarters," Look Lex, N.d., accessed August 12, 2014, http://lexicorient.com/tunisia/gafsa03.htm.
[2] Justin McGuinness, Footprint Tunisia Handbook (Bath, England: Footprint Handbooks Ltd, 2002), 3rd Edition, p. 323, accessed August 13, 2014, http://www.amazon.com/Footprint-Tunisia-Handbook-Justin-McGuinness/dp/1903471281/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407878682&sr=8-1&keywords=tunisia+justin+mcguinness.
[3] Daniel Jacobs, The Rough Guide to Tunisia (New York: Penguin, 2006), p. 325, accessed August 12, 2014, http://books.google.com/books?id=OlYHspEj7eMC&printsec.
[4] DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Tunisia: Tunisia (New York: Penguin, 2011), p. 216, accessed August 13, 2014, http://books.google.com/books?id=veua-AI1Q-wC&printsec.
[5] "Jews," Fanack.com, N.d., accessed August 14, 2014, http://fanack.com/en/countries/tunisia/population/ethnic-and-religious-groups/jews/.
[6] "Italian Tunisians," Wikipedia, last modified March 15, 2014, accessed August 14, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Tunisians.
[7] Alexander Rosenzweig, "The History of the Jews of Tunisia," Moïse Rahmani, 2001, accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.sefarad.org/lm/045/8.html.
[8] "Jews," Fanack.com.
[9] Haim Saadoun, "Gafsa," Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World, Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman, Brill Online, 2014, Reference, Wellesley College, 12 August 2014 <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/gafsa-COM_0008190>.
Photos
"Interior of the Dar Loungo, which is not really worth a visit, as everything of the decoration has been removed (September 2005)." Look Lex. September 2005. Accessed August 12, 2014, http://lexicorient.com/tunisia/gafsa03.htm.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 02.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2002.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 03.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2003.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 04.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2004.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 05.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2005.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 07.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dar_Longo,_Gafsa_juin_2013_07.jpg.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 08.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2008.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 11.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2011.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 12.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dar_Longo,_Gafsa_juin_2013_12.jpg.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 15.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2015.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 16.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2016.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 21.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2021.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 22.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3ADar%20Longo%2C%20Gafsa%20juin%202013%2022.jpg/-/en.
M'henni, Habib. "File:Dar Longo, Gafsa juin 2013 23.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 14, 2014, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dar_Longo,_Gafsa_juin_2013_23.jpg.
M’henni, Habib. "File:Plafond décoré à Dar Longo, Gafsa, Tunisie 2013.jpg." Wikimedia Commons. June 1, 2013. Accessed August 12, 2014, http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/File%3APlafond%20d%C3%A9cor%C3%A9%20%C3%A0%20Dar%20Longo,%20Gafsa,%20Tunisie%202013.jpg/-/en.
