سيدي بو سعيد‎

In 2013, the shrine of Sufi saint Sidi Bou Said was deliberately set on fire–a fate which befell over thirty other Sufi shrines in Tunisia at the time. Several Sufi manuscripts and Qurans were burnt in the fire as well. UNESCO issued an official statement condemning the attack and offered assistance to restore the shrine. Irina Bokova, UNESCO’s Director-General, stated: “The torching of this symbolic 13th century site, that gave rise to the village of Sidi Bou Said, marks yet another step in the campaign of destruction against Tunisia’s cultural heritage and history. This tragic act not only strikes at the spiritual and historical heritage of Tunisia, but also at Tunisian society’s values of tolerance and respect for different beliefs and cultural diversity.”

When I visited the Sufi shrine of Sidi Bou Said earlier this month, I was very impressed with the complete restoration of the shrine. One would never know that just two years ago it was reduced to rubble through a callous act of hate. What a difference a few years makes! Today, the shrine is once again an oasis of peace–a quiet place for dervishes, locals, and tourists to come and reflect. If you travel to Tunisia, do pay a visit to this beautiful Sufi shrine…