Historic Tunisian Village of Sidi Bou Said Faces Existential Threat Following Catastrophic Floods

SIDI BOU SAID, Tunisia — The postcard-perfect lanes of Sidi Bou Said, where cobalt-blue doors frame bougainvillea-draped white walls, have long drawn artists, writers, and travelers to its hillside perch overlooking the ancient ruins of Carthage. Now, this historic village faces a perilous future after record-breaking storms triggered landslides, exposing the fragility of one of Tunisia’s most cherished landscapes.

Last week’s deluge—the heaviest in over seven decades—claimed at least five lives across Tunisia and left several missing. Here in Sidi Bou Said, narrow streets were buried under fallen trees, rocks, and thick clay. But the greater danger lies beneath the surface: entire sections of the slope have begun to shift, putting centuries-old homes at immediate risk.

"The situation is delicate and demands urgent intervention," Mounir Riabi, regional director of civil defense in Tunis, told AFP. "Some residences are under imminent threat." Authorities have barred heavy vehicles from entering and temporarily closed cultural sites including the Ennejma Ezzahra museum, once a hub for music and art.

For residents like Maya, 50, the disaster struck with terrifying speed. "I was with my mother when violently muddy torrents poured down," she recalled, asking that her full name not be used. "A wall of mud rushed toward our house, then the power went out. I was truly frightened." Her family’s century-old Moorish villa sustained significant damage, forcing them to evacuate.

On the ground, worker Said Ben Farhat pointed to a kitchen wall partly destroyed by sliding, waterlogged earth. "Another storm," he said quietly, "and it will be a catastrophe."

The crisis also strikes at the village’s economic heart. Shopkeepers, who depend heavily on tourist buses, describe a sudden collapse in trade. "We have closed shop," vendor Mohamed Fedi said. "There are no more customers." He estimated that about 200 families rely on this tourism-driven livelihood.

Beyond its aesthetic fame, Sidi Bou Said holds deep historical and spiritual significance. Named for a 12th-century Sufi saint, Abu Said al-Baji, whose shrine crowns the hill, it later attracted thinkers like Michel Foucault and André Gide. The village is protected under Tunisian preservation law and awaits a UNESCO World Heritage decision.

Geologist Chokri Yaich, speaking to Tunisian radio, warned that climate change is accelerating the threat. The hill’s clay-rich soil can lose up to two-thirds of its cohesion when saturated, he explained, calling the slope "highly unstable." Marine erosion and a 40% increase in construction over the past 30 years have added further strain.

Proposed solutions—from restricting new development and reinforcing retaining walls to improving drainage—remain under discussion. Yet with the weather growing increasingly unpredictable, residents and shop owners wait anxiously for a concrete protection plan. As President Kais Saied visited the site last Wednesday, vendors’ cries echoed through the damp lanes: "We want to work."

For now, the village stands at a crossroads, its future hanging in the balance between preservation and peril.

Voices from the Community

Leila Mansour, 58, Heritage Conservationist: "This isn’t just about buildings—it’s about memory. Sidi Bou Said is a living archive of Tunisian culture. We need immediate, scientifically-grounded intervention, not just emergency patches."

Karim Belhassen, 42, Café Owner: "My family has run this café for three generations. Today, there are more landslides than tourists. If the village goes, a piece of Tunisia’s soul goes with it."

Samia Gharbi, 37, Urban Planner in Tunis: "Decades of unregulated construction have weakened these slopes. It’s a wake-up call: we must rethink how we build in fragile landscapes, especially with climate change intensifying storms."

Youssef Ben Ali, 49, Local Activist (sharply critical): "Where has the government been all these years? We’ve seen reports, studies, warnings—and nothing. This negligence isn’t just incompetence; it’s a betrayal of our heritage. Now they act surprised when the hill starts crumbling."