Sidi Bou Saïd hosts oud forum on 23 October 2026

Sidi Bou Saïd hosts a forum from the International Oud Festival on 23 October 2026 at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace, bringing the Tunisian oud into a programme of research and cultural events in Tunisia. The village, known in Arabic and French sources as Sidi Bou Saïd, lies north of Tunis and provides the festival with a venue devoted to Arab and Mediterranean musical heritage.

Oud forum comes to Ennejma Ezzahra on 23 October

The fourth International Oud Festival runs from 16 to 24 October 2026 at venues in Tunis. Its programme includes concerts, workshops, a playing competition and academic sessions, with the 23 October programme at Ennejma Ezzahra focused on a national scientific forum about the Tunisian oud.

The Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music and the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club are named as organisers in the Tunisian National Radio announcement. The forum examines the instrument's relationship with memory, heritage and identity, alongside its documentation, digital preservation, teaching, manufacture and future development. The sessions also address performance methods and the oud's role in contemporary musical education and practice. Forum details for 23 October

The palace connects the forum to musical heritage

Ennejma Ezzahra Palace houses the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music, an institution operating under Tunisia's Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The Centre was established on 20 December 1991 and combines museum work with activities supporting musical heritage.

The palace was built by Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger between 1912 and 1922 on the hillside below the village. Its setting gives the oud forum a direct link to an institution whose remit includes the National Sound Archive and research into musical instruments. The 23 October meeting therefore places a discussion about preservation and digital recording inside a building already used for conserving and presenting Arab and Tunisian musical culture. Centre and palace history

The festival continues across Tunis until 24 October

The Sidi Bou Saïd forum is one part of a festival spread across the capital. A separate report says the programme began at the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club and continues through 24 October, with the closing concert scheduled at the Opera Theatre in the Cité de la Culture.

The same report places the 23 October scientific forum at Ennejma Ezzahra and lists an evening performance by Lebanese musician Charbel Rouhana with Elie El Khoury and Makram Aboul Hosn, followed by awards for the oud competition. That combination makes the palace day broader than a concert: it joins discussion, performance and recognition of musicians within the festival's final programme. Festival programme and venues

Visiting Sidi Bou Saïd: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The forum takes place on 23 October 2026 at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace in Sidi Bou Saïd, as part of the International Oud Festival.
• The confirmed programme concerns a scientific forum about the Tunisian oud. The available programme also names an evening performance and an awards ceremony elsewhere in the festival schedule.
• The Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music is housed in Ennejma Ezzahra Palace, on the hillside below the village and 17 km north of Tunis.
• The palace stands on the Jabal al-Manar promontory, so the venue is associated with a hillside setting rather than a level urban site.
• 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.

The forum's date and venue give travellers a specific cultural appointment within the festival's 16 to 24 October 2026 run.

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Frequently asked questions about Sidi Bou Saïd

When does the International Oud Festival take place at Sidi Bou Saïd?

The forum at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace takes place on 23 October 2026 during the festival's 16 to 24 October 2026 programme.

What is Ennejma Ezzahra Palace?

It is a palace below the village that houses the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music. Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger built it between 1912 and 1922.

Where is Sidi Bou Saïd and how do you get there?

Sidi Bou Saïd is 17 km north of Tunis, with Ennejma Ezzahra Palace on the hillside below the village.