Zaouia Sidi Kacem Ezzilizi

The Zawiya of Sidi Qasim al-Jalizi (also 'The Zaouia Sidi Kacem Ezzilizi') contains the tomb of an Andalusian powerful craftsman saint who is famous for being the one who brought tile-making to Tunis. Constructed in the fifteenth century, the monument lies on a hill overlooking the Sijoumi salt-flats to the west and the Kasbah to the north. It is said that Sidi Qasim al-Jalizi died in 1496 (902 AH). Excessively decorated with fine Tunisian ceramics, the Zawiya was also the burial place of several Hasid sultans and princes including Ahmed III (1546-1569). History tells that the building served as a shelter to travelers and tradesmen. Restoration was made to the building in 1726 (1139 A. H.) by Hussein bin Ali (1705-1734), the founder of Tunisia's Husseinite Bey Dynasty (1705-1957).