The Sustainable Well-Being in the Medina of Tunis and Its Environmental Values

The Medina of Tunis, or the vernacular heart of the Arabic-Islamic city, has been known for centuries as an important center of Muslim civilization and a crossroad of Muslim and non-Muslim cultures in North Africa. Its urban fabric, its built environment, and its architectural patterns are a manifestation of a creative and a sustainable process whereby the environment has had an important effect on the planning of the Medina. By analyzing the structure of this vernacular settlement, this paper aims to explore the concept of sustainability in this settlement while referring to the studies of 14th-century master builder Ibn Al-Rami. Its environmental qualities are explored through the gradual exploration of its urban components from the level of the street to the level of the courtyard to explain their participatory role in enhancing cultural and social values of Islam.