Senior Managements of the National Library of Tunisia
Raja Ben Slama (the current director since 2015)
She is an author of several books, including a thesis on love in the Arab Islamic Tradition. Raja Ben Slama is a professor of Arab literature and civilization at Manouba University. She led the critical Thinking of Al-Awan between 2007 and 2020. She is also a member in the analytical space as a psychoanalyst. She is the chief executive of the National Library since 2015. Her last book is in French : Ordres/désordres des genres : lectures croisés sur la violence et l’amour (Tunis 2020).
Mohamed-Kameleddine Gaha (2011 - 2015)
An Academic teacher and researcher.He holds PHD in French language and literature. He also published and translated many books .He is well known by writing poems in the Arabic language. He took responsibilities in the ministries of Education and Higher Education.
Olfa Youssef (2009 - 2011)
She was born in Sousse in 1966. She is a writer and a university teacher specializing in linguistcs and Islamic phylosophy. In 2002 she published her PHD thesis on « Polysemy in the Holy Quran » in Manouba University.She published several books.
Samia Gammarti (2005 - 2009)
She was born in 1951. She got her BA in History in a Tunisian University in 1974 and her MA in history from Aix-Marseile university. She attended different cultural events in Tunisia and from around the world.She was the head of the Digital Media Library in Ariana Tunis. She was appointed in 2001 as a chief executive in the ministry of culture with responsibility of book management and safeguarding cultural heritage in 2009.
Hassouna Mzabi (2003 - 2005)
He was born in Djerba in 1943. He got his BA in Geography from the Tunisian University of Arts In 1967, the postgraduate degree ( University of Paris) in 1973 and PHD ( the university of social sciences in Tunis) in 1988. He was a secondary teacher then a University Teacher in theTunisian university of social sciences in 1969 where he was appointed as a dean from 1990 to 1993. He published several researches and studies.
Khalifa Chater (1997 - 2003)
He was born in Tunis in 1936. He was a teacher of modern history in the university of humanities and social sciences in Tunis. He recieved his PHD in literature from Sorbonne. He also recieved the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the university of Montpellier in France in 1996. He won the first prize in literature and social sciences in Tunis in 1997. He has several books in both Arabic and French languages.
Jomâa Chikha (1991 - 1997)
He was born in Kerkennah (Sfax province) in 1944. He recieved BA in Arabic language and literatue From the Tunisian University, vacational certificate in 1973 and PHD in1982. He founded and headed « Etudes Andalouses ». He published several books.
Ibrahim Chabouh (1988 - 1991)
He was born in 1934 in Kairouan. He recieved a BA in Islamic archeology from the University of Cairo and an MA in Islamic architecture. He has created a textual critic of ancient manuscripts and published the most important version of Ibn Khaldun’s 14th century historical encyclopedia (Kitab al-ibar ). ALECSO expert in urban preservation, he is the author of several books in archeology. He donated his entire collection to the National Library.
Ezzeddine Bach Chaouch (1985 - 1988)
He was born in April 18th, 1938 in Tunis. He studied in the Sadiki prep school in Tunis but he carried his universal studies in the Sorbonne in the History and Archeology school of Rome (EFR). He was graduated 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,which were published in Italy, Britain, and Tunisia.
Abdelaziz Kacem (1983 - 1985)
He was born on April 2, 1933 in Bennane. He obtained an Agregation in Arabic language and literature from the Sorbonne. He also held many tasks in the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; he was Director of the Tunisian Radio and TV. He taught at the University of Tunis. He was known by his poetry an critical thinking in both Arabic and French languages
Ezzeddine Gallouz (1974 - 1982)
He was born in 1932 in Tunis. He obtained a BA in French Language and Literature from the Sorbonne in 1954, an Agrégation in 1992 and a PHD in History from Paris in 1992. He was a teacher at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Tunis and in such number of universities in France as an associate Professor. He served as Tunisia’s Ambassador to UNESCO. He is an author of several books and articles.
Béchir Fani (1971 - 1974)
He was born in 1933 in Sousse where he followed his secondary education. He then studied in the Institut des Hautes Etudes (Tunis), the Sorbonne (Paris) and the École nationale supérieure de bibliothécaires. In 1960, he was graduated in history from the Sorbonne and in 1964 he obtained a diploma from the École nationale supérieure de bibliothécaires.
Mohamed Rezgui (1965 - 1971)
He was born in 1926 in Tunis. Studied in the Sadiki secondary school and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. 1956, He obtained an Agregation 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)
He was born in Tunis in 1903 and died in Annaba in 1976. He was a historian and author for more than twenty books on history, literature, folklore, and philology. While most of these are in print, a few are still in manuscript form. After finishing his secondary education, he left for France in 1926 where he studied at the Sorbonne, the Institute for Oriental Languages (INALCO), the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, and the Collège de France. From 1928 to 1954, he was a teacher at the Khaldunia School then at the Ecole Supérieure de Langue et Littérature Arabes. In 1938, he was appointed Secretar- General of the Arabic language programs of Radio Tunis, a function he left in 1943 when he was appointed curator of the Arabic Department of the National Library then called the Bibliothèque Populaire. After Tunisia’s independence in 1956, he was appointed General Curator of the National Library.