Nouri Boukhchim

Nouri Boukhchim is an archaeologist and faculty member at the University of Tunis. He holds a Ph.D. in Heritage Sciences (2011) and a HDR in History, Heritage, and Archaeology from the University of Tunis (2022). He is Vice Dean and Director of Studies and Internships at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Kairouan, and a member of the University of Kairouan Council (2014–2017). Author of several articles and books on the archaeological heritage and society of the mountainous and Saharan regions of southeastern Tunisia, and a participant in several research and development projects focused on these regions. 

The project

Title: Southern Tunisia in 19th- and 20th-Century French Archives: How Can Archival Sources Shed Light on the Process of Urban, Economic, and Sociocultural Transformation in the Mountains of Southeastern Tunisia?

"This research project will focus on a key rural area in southern Tunisia, specifically the mountainous region. The time period under study spans primarily the 19th and 20th centuries—a period marked first by exploration and then by French military colonization of the area. Rich in hilltop villages, ksour, and defensive structures, the region is home to several sites and monuments from all pre-Islamic eras (prehistoric and protohistoric remains, as well as those from the Roman and late antiquity periods), which have been partially excavated over various periods. However, the results of these excavations often remain fragmentary and have been published only sparingly. Written sources, studies, and research projects on this region are still scarce. To fill this gap, archival documents constitute an essential resource for tracing the history of this rural region and understanding the territorial (land use), economic (production, trade, networks), social, and cultural changes that have occurred over time."

Hosting Institution: Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art, Paris (INHA)

Selective Bibliography

• 2020, Boukhchim, Nouri « Matmata (Sud-est Tunisien): Peuplement et Habitats Troglodytiques », Revue électronique Al-Sabil-: Revue d’Histoire, d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Maghrébines, n°9, année 2020.
• 2021, Boukhchim Nouri, « Le Géomorphosite Culturel de Matmata (Sud-est Tunisien): Paysage et Habitats Troglodytiques », In Costa, Miguel Reimão; Gomez Martinez, Susana; Batista, Desidério & Ribeiro, Vítor, Mediterranean Hilltop Settlements: Architecture and Landscape / Povoados alcandorados do Mediterrâneo: Arquitetura e Paisagem. Mértola : CAM / CEAACP, pp. 22-27.
• 2023 : Miguel Reimão Costa, Nouri Boukhchim, Desidério Batista et Meriem Marzouki, « L’architecture et le paysage du village berbère de Zraoua dans les montagnes du sud-est de la Tunisie : le patrimoine dans un lieu en voie d’abandon », Les Cahiers de la recherche architecturale urbaine et paysagère, Actualités de la recherche, mis en ligne le 29 mai 2023, consulté le 11 janvier 2024.
• 2023 : Nouri Boukhchim et Asma Sekmani, « Toujane : modèle d’Organisation de l’Espace, paysages et architecture Vernaculaire dans un village perché à Djebel Matmata (Sud-Est de la Tunisie)», Al-Sabîl : Revue d'Histoire, d'Archéologie et d'architecture maghrébines, n°14, année 2022.
• 2024 : Nouri Boukhchim et Meriem Marzouki, « Le Village dit « Sidi Abdelkader » dans la vallée de l’oued Sarrat (Nord-Ouest de la Tunisie)". Résultats Préliminaires d’une Enquête de Terrain », CaSteR 9 (2024).