Abdellia Palace

The Abdellia Palace is the most important surviving piece of Ottoman-era architecture in La Marsa, set just back from the centre of town. It now functions as a cultural centre and exhibition space — when there is a show on, you can wander through the painted halls and inner courtyard for free. Even with nothing on display, the building rewards a visit: the proportions are graceful, the ceramic tiles and carved plaster are characteristic of high Ottoman Tunisian style, and the central garden is a quiet retreat from the corniche.

Exhibitions tend to focus on contemporary Tunisian art and photography. Check the schedule locally — the cultural calendar can be unpredictable. Even when closed for changeovers between shows, the exterior and the garden walls give a sense of what beylical La Marsa looked like before the modern town swallowed it up.

things to do sight architecture museum
A story
The palace was built in the 16th century by Hafsid prince Abu Abdellah Mohamed and passed into the hands of the Husainid beys, who used it as a summer residence. It has the typical layout of an aristocratic Tunisian villa of the period — central courtyard, surrounding rooms, painted ceilings — and is one of the few of its kind that survived the urbanisation of the Tunis suburbs.