The National Library’s Directors
Raja Ben Slama ( 2015-2023)
Author of several books, including a thesis on love in the Arab-Islamic tradition, Raja Ben Slama is professor of Arab literature and civilization at the University of Manouba. She directed the critical thinking site Al-Awan between 2007 and 2020. She is also a psychoanalyst, member of Espace analytic.
Since 2015, she has been director general of the National Library of Tunisia. His latest work, in French, is entitled Gender Orders/Disorders: Cross-Readings on Violence and Love. (Tunis, 2020)
Mohamed-Kameleddine Gaha (2011-2015)
Researcher and university professor, holder of a State doctorate in French literature. He is the author of numerous publications in this field. He writes poetry in Arabic and has published several works and translations. He was charged with different responsibilities at the two ministries of education and higher education.
Olfa Youssef (2009-2011)
born in Sousse, in 1966. Writer and university professor, specializing in linguistics and Islamic sciences. She defended her doctoral thesis which deals with polysemy in the Koran, in 2002, at the University of Manouba. She has published numerous works.
Samia Gammarti (2005-2009)
born in 1951 and obtained a master's degree in history from the Tunisian university in 1974, then the Diploma of Advanced Research (DRA) from the University of Aix in Marseille. She has participated in several cultural events, in the country and abroad. She was responsible for managing the Ariana media library, then, in 2001, she was appointed General Director of book management at the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Preservation, in 2009.
Hassouna Mzabi (2003-2005)
born in Djerba in 1943. He obtained a master's degree in geography from the Faculty of Letters of Tunis in 1967, a third cycle doctorate from the University of Paris in 1973 and a state doctorate from the Faculty of Human Sciences of Tunis, in 1988. He taught in high schools then he entered higher education and taught at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of Tunis, in 1969. He became the dean of this same faculty, of 1990 to 1993. He published several studies and articles, died on April 13, 2023.
Khalifa Chater (1997-2003)
born in Tunis in 1936. He was professor of modern history at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences of Tunis and president of the Tunisian Association of International Studies. He obtained the Doctorate in Letters from the Sorbonne and the Honorary Doctorate from the University of Montpellier, in France, in 1996. He received the National Prize, in Tunis, in Literature and Human Sciences, in 1997. He is the author of several studies in Arabic and French.
Jomâa Chikha (1991-1997)
born in Kerkennah (governorate of Sfax) in 1944. He obtained, in 1967, a master's degree in Arabic language and literature at the Tunisian university and the certificate of aptitude for scientific research (CAR) in 1973, then the doctorate in State, in 1982. He founded and directed the journal “Etudes andalouses”. He published works and wrote texts.
Ibrahim Chabouh (1988 -1991)
Born in 1934 in Kairouan. He obtained a BA in Islamic archeology from the University of Cairo and an MA in Islamic architecture.
A textual critic of ancient manuscripts, he published the most important version of Ibn Khaldun’s 14th century historical encyclopedia (Kitab al-ibar, wa diwan al-mobtadae wa al-khabar).
Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch (1985 -1988)
Born April 18, 1938 in Tunis. Studied in the Sadiki College, in the Sorbonne and in the History and Archeology Ecole Française de Rome (EFR). A graduate in Arabic language and literature and in classical French language and literature, he obtained an Agrégation in the philology of ancient languages. Author of several books and studies in history, archeology, and more specifically in ancient libraries and objects of value, published in Italy, Britain, and Tunisia.
Abdelaziz Kacem (1983 -1985)
Born on April 2, 1933 in Bennane. He obtained an Agrégation in Arabic language and literature. Graduated from the Sorbonne. Held many positions in the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; was Director of the Tunisian Radio and TV institution and taught at the University of Tunis. A poet and critic in both Arabic and French.
Ezzeddine Gallouz (1974 -1982)
Born in 1932 in Tunis. He received his BA in French Language and Literature from the Sorbonne in 1954, an Agrégation in 1992 and a Doctorat d’Etat in History from Paris in 1992. He was a teacher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Tunis and in a number of universities in France as a visiting Professor. He served as Tunisia’s Ambassador to UNESCO and authored several books and papers.
Bechir Feni (1971-1974)
Born in 1933 in Sousse where he went to secondary school. He then studied in the Institut des Hautes Etudes (Tunis), the Sorbonne (Paris) and the École Nationale Supérieure de Bibliothécaires. In 1960, he graduated in history from the Sorbonne and in 1964 he obtained a diploma from the École Nationale Supérieure de Bibliothécaires.
Mohamed Rezgui (1965-1971)
Born in 1926 in Tunis. Studied in the Sadiki College and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1956, obtained an Agrégation for his higher studies in Arabic Language and Literature. He was a teacher at the Faculty of Arts in Tunis and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration. He published a number of articles and gave several lectures.
Othman Kaak (1956-1965)
Born in Tunis in 1903; died in Annaba in 1976. A historian, he is the author of more than twenty books on history, literature, folklore, and philology. While most of these are in print, a few are still in manuscript form.
A graduate of the Sadiki College, he left for France in 1926 where he studied at the Sorbonne, the Institute for expert in urban preservation, he is the author of several papers in archeology. He donated his extensive personal library to the National Library.