MĂ©dina de Tunis hosts Jaou Tunis from 23 October
Published on 10/24/2026 at 19:43 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSJaou programme and heritage setting
- Jaou Tunis begins on 23 October 2026 under the Kamel Lazaar Foundation.
- Becoming the Ocean opens at Quechlet El Attarine on 24 October 2026.
- Tunis has been a major Maghreb city since 698, according to UNESCO.
- The UNESCO property covers approximately 280 ha and includes about 700 historic monuments.
MĂ©dina de Tunis hosts Jaou Tunis from 23 October to 22 November 2026, bringing exhibitions, performances and concerts to Tunis. The programme centres on contemporary art while placing one major exhibition inside the historic El Attarine barracks.
Jaou Tunis brings Becoming the Ocean to the medina
Jaou Tunis begins on 23 October 2026 across several cultural venues in the Tunisian capital. The programme includes exhibitions, performances, concerts, conversations and Jaou Nights, with the Kamel Lazaar Foundation named as organiser.
The biennial’s central exhibition, Becoming the Ocean, opens on 24 October at Quechlet El Attarine. The official Jaou Tunis calendar places the exhibition at the former military barracks and lists Andrea Bellini and Lina Lazaar as curators. The programme runs until 22 November 2026, when the musical schedule closes with Hyperculte at B7L9 Art Centre.
The wider programme also includes the exhibition Undertow / Contre ; Courant, which opens on 25 October at B7L9 Art Centre. A performance called Gathering starts the programme on 23 October at Le 4ème Art, while the schedule includes further music, dance, theatre and discussions in venues across Tunis.
El Attarine barracks connect Jaou with UNESCO heritage
Quechlet El Attarine is one of the named historic elements within the UNESCO property. The UNESCO heritage description identifies the barracks among the medina’s notable monuments, alongside mosques, gates, souqs, palaces and religious buildings.
UNESCO describes Tunis as one of the first Arabo-Muslim towns of the Maghreb, with origins in 698. Under the Almohads and Hafsids, from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, it became one of the major cities of the Islamic world. The protected property covers approximately 280 ha and includes about 700 historic monuments.
That setting gives the 24 October exhibition a specific relationship with the place: the contemporary works are presented inside a nineteenth-century military complex named in the heritage inventory. Jaou therefore uses a historic building as one venue within a citywide programme rather than treating the medina as a general backdrop.
Jaou Tunis spans exhibitions and performances through November
The 2026 edition brings the Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement to Africa for the first time, with Becoming the Ocean as its principal exhibition. The programme lists 16 works by artists including Younès Ben Slimane, Mona Benyamin, Paulo Nazareth, Liv Schulman and Sarah Zeryab.
Further events extend beyond the medina. The programme includes concerts by Yasmine Hamdan and Soudeni on 25 October, a concert by Shabaka and VIPA OBOS on 26 October, and a closing performance by Hyperculte on 22 November. These dates make the medina exhibition part of a wider cultural itinerary through Tunis.
Visiting MĂ©dina de Tunis: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Jaou Tunis runs from 23 October to 22 November 2026, with Becoming the Ocean at Quechlet El Attarine from 24 October.
- The exhibition and performances are scheduled at named cultural venues; the calendar identifies Quechlet El Attarine as the venue for Becoming the Ocean.
- The site is in Tunis, and the UNESCO property includes the central medina plus northern and southern suburbs.
- Tunisia’s official language is Arabic and its national currency is the Tunisian dinar.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about MĂ©dina de Tunis
When does Jaou Tunis take place at MĂ©dina de Tunis?
Jaou Tunis runs from 23 October to 22 November 2026, with events at several venues in Tunis.
What is Becoming the Ocean at MĂ©dina de Tunis?
It is the central exhibition of Jaou Tunis and opens on 24 October 2026 at Quechlet El Attarine.
Where is MĂ©dina de Tunis and how do you get there?
The heritage property is in Tunis and includes the central medina and northern and southern suburbs.
