Book Title:   Cultural Action and Development
Author:   Mustapha Mami    

Topic:  Culture
Size:  16x24  

Number of Pages:   304   

Language:  French
Publication Date:  1986   

   In this book, Mustapha Mami is suggesting an analytical approach to festivals. He begins by putting them in the context of cultural activities and the process of development. He then goes on to categorize these cultural events according to their context (political, traditional or created), state the purpose of their occasion (cultural entertainment, the culmination of an artistic event, the dissemination of culture, safeguarding the cultural heritage, liveliness of particular spots or tourist attraction), and finally he deals with the way of holding festivals.
   The author focuses on the festival of Tabarka as a case study, being the first festival to be organized in Tunisia (1961), which has taken place annually on a fairly regular basis. Another reason is that officials have had a lively interest in it, and that although it is not organized in the capital or any other major city, it has had many positive echoes both in Tunisia and abroad.
   Ultimately, it is worth pointing out that the author does not mean to condemn or approve of any particular festival. He simply sought to assess the way the festival of Tabarka is organized in terms of cultural activities, showing its strengths and weaknesses as objectively as possible, in order to increase the profitability of festivals in general, and of the festival of Tabarka in particular.

Book Title: Meditations
Author: Mohamed Halioui       

Preface: Hammadi Sammoud
Topic: Literature      

Size: 16x24     

Number of pages: 84

Language: Arabic   

Publication Date: 1987     

   This collection includes all the poems of Mohamed Halioui (1907-1978), which were published over several decades in Tunisian literary or educational journals.
   In this collection, the reader will find meditations on the Universe and Nature, along with other reflections - not in the least free of outrage - on the human condition and all sorts of injustices suffered by human beings on earth. All that the poet can afford is to suffer, beseeching humans for more understanding and mutual support.

   The condition of the man of letters in his environment is also the subject of recurring moans and groans in this collection. After the decline of the traditional moral values, he can only see duplicity, hypocrisy and an unbridled materialism. He appeals to the great poet Ibn Hani, on the occasion of his millenium anniversary, expressing his grievances against his hometown, Qairawan, and its people, whose attitude towards the educated nears disdain and contempt.

   Memories are also strongly present in this collection. For the poet, they are the opportunity to recall the golden age of Qairawan, and the glorious past of the Arabs when they were the masters of the world, a position afforded by the growth of their civilization and the influence of their scholars. If the prodigious accomplishments of the West are so brilliant for him, he still eyes them with fear and skepticism.
   In these "Meditations", Mohamed Halioui seems to be inspired by two icons, so prestigious for him: the great poet-philosopher Al-Maarri, in his metaphysical disarray, and his friend Chabbi, the "aerolite" of Tunisian poetry.

   A group of Tunisian university professors have carried out a series of research studies on the general theories of poetics among the Arabs and other civilizations, in which both Old poets and Modern ones are sampled and their works examined with the same criteria of objectivity and analyzed within the same theoretical insight, but with the precedence of specimen over theoretical tenets.  

   The first of these studies has been devoted to the Tunisian poet Abu al-Qacim Chabbi (1909-1934) who, in his "Diary", qualified himself as "a heavenly nightingale." This study is intended to be a fresh look at the poetic works of Chabbi, off the beaten track.

   In this book, the reader will realize two different expositions: the first is very close to the spirit of the Chabbi text, seeking to penetrate his inner secrets. The other, apparently more distant, raises the question of the best means to writing poetry. Here are some of the papers presented. Professor Hammadi Sammoud considers the poem "Song of the lost" as central to Chabbi’s poetics, while Professor Abdallah Soula conducts a semantic study of the poem "Prayer at the temple of love ", and Professor Hichem Rifi, deals with the myth in "Aghani al-Hayat" (Songs of Life), etc ...

Book Title: Mecca and the Holy Kaaba in the Accounts of Muslim Travellers

Author: Ali Chennoufi         

Topic: History     Size: 16x24

Number of Pages: 160          

Language: Arabic and French

 Publication Date: 1989        

   Ever since the Arab conquest of Ifriqya, Muslims in the Maghreb region have always had a passion for the accounts of those who have made the pilgrimage to the holy places, recounting the hazards of the journey by land and sea, and describing the deep satisfaction deriving from the visit to Mecca and the Medina.
Soon these tales were no longer reported only orally, but were documented. Since then, accounts of the journey to the Hejaz turned into a kind of guidebook, with information on the ritual obligations of the pilgrimage, its virtues and the various stages of the journey.

   Among these accounts, Ibn Jubayr’s recounting of the journey is the oldest and most informative. There were several others, inter alia, by Abdari, at-Tujjani, at-Tujibi, Ibn Battuta and Muhammad Ibn Uthman as-Sanussi.

   In this book, we can read the accounts made by some of these travellers and their description of the holy Kaaba and its finery, the repairs made to the Sacred Mosque and the Maghrebine caravans who had done the journey to the Hejaz for three centuries. There are also some passages - translated into Arabic – of letters by the different Consuls of France in Jeddah (1850-1886), in which they refer to the caravans of pilgrims, their approximate numbers, and the sanitary conditions during the pilgrimage, etc ...

Book Title:  Theories of Translation
Established by a panel of university teachers.     

Topic: Culture.

Size: 16x24                

Number of pages: 204   

Language: Arabic
Publication Date:    1989        

   Initiated by "Beit al-Hikma", a panel of Tunisian university professors has undertaken a theoretical study to define the meaning and role of translation. This work has enabled:

1 – To give every researcher the opportunity to deal with an issue of their own choice, and to chart and present the relevant references in a critical way.
2 - Group discussion of individual works, in order to enhance the different views and open up new horizons for all researchers.

On the historical level, Professor Mongia Mensia studied translation among the Arabs from the early beginnings until the Abbasid period. Professor Kamel Gaha was interested in the problems of translation at the dawn of the modern Arab "Nahdha"(renaissance). On the purely theoretical level, Professor Mohamed Agina reviewed the various theories of translation. Focusing on the theoretical aspects in operation, Professor Abu Yaareb Marzouki dealt with scientific translation as a social phenomenon. As for Professor Béji Kamarti, he addressed scientific and technical translation, establishing the strong connection between both of them. Professor Moncef Jazzar, on his side, analyzed specific patterns of literary translation, drawing original theoretical conclusions.

Book Title:  The Fundamentals of Terminology
Studies Owed to a Panel of University Professors
Topic: Linguistics     

Size: 16x24                    

Number of pages: 304

 Language:  Arabic  

Publication Date: 1989   

The development of terminology into a relatively independent science from semantics and lexicography is a first consequence of the rapid expansion of the technical, scientific and terminology systems. It is also a result of the inevitably intricate nature of the various terminological systems due to linguistic diversity and the ever increasing complexity of various scientific fields. The pressing need for different peoples to communicate through well-identified terminology systems is a reality imposed by economic factors, problems of technology transfer and the fact that science and technology do not identify with political and linguistic barriers. Hence the emergence of what has been called «the contact of languages» in terms of word transfers. The different sciences have then found themselves forced to establish equivalent terms in other languages whose speakers have not experienced the reality expressed by those words in the native language context; which is at the origin of the difficulties of translation, as every language has got its own structural rules governing the language and its own mode of semantic representation, reflecting reality as experienced by the speakers of that language.

Book Title: History of Sciences in the Arab world
A Collective Work by a Panel of University Teachers
Topic: Sciences                   

Size: 16x24
Number of pages: 286        

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1990       

   This is the first series of scientific studies, which is the fruit of a close collaboration between the History of Arab Sciences Research Unit at the National Institute for Educational Sciences and the Tunisian Academy Beit al-Hikma, devoted to the major topic of the Arab sciences founding stages, and in which we can discern two major areas of interest: mathematics and natural sciences on the one hand, and humanities on the other, with a common feature to both, and that is respect for the main characteristic of Arab sciences, namely the close connection between science and philosophy.

   These studies, although written by the different members in the Research Unit, reflects a noticeable collective effort, since they opted for two complementary approaches: initially holding preparatory seminars in which the work of each member has been evaluated, then  the establishment of monographs in the light of the collective work already carried out. Once completed, this series of studies has been the subject of an international symposium which gave place to profitable debates and allowed two Arab scientists established abroad (Khalil Jaouich and Ahmed Jebbar) to resume a long-awaited interaction with their colleagues at home.

   Because of the very nature of their specialties, the different researchers could only carry out their studies at two different levels: the first extends to the entire Muslim world, because Arab sciences and philosophy are the prerogative of all those who thought and wrote in Arabic within the Islamic civilization. The second includes the history of human science in general, because Arab sciences acted as an intermediary between the science written in Greek and that written in Latin.

Book Title: Magnum Opus (2 volumes)
Author: Hassan Hosni Abdulwahab
Topic: History / Science / Literature
Size: 16x24

Number of pages: V1: 450, V2: 550
Language: Arabic Publication

Date: 2005

This historical and bio-bibliographical survey on Tunisian thought and culture, literature and sciences of medieval and modern Tunisia is owed to the great Tunisian historian Hassan Hosni Abdulwahab. It is a real encyclopedia which involved strenuous and patient research efforts in manuscript and published works including chronicles, tradition compendiums, theological and literary surveys etc…

Before his death in 1968, the author had already published most of this magnum opus in his famous book "Waraqat" (Leaves on Arab Civilization in Ifriqya), which came out in 1965 and 1966, and these are:  

1 - Preliminary chapters: the Birth of Tunisian civilization, History of Tunisian culture, Evidence of interest in education, Evidence of interest to books and the care in collecting them.
2 – A Bio-bibliographical reference to different scholars (Faqihs ‘religious scholars’, exegetes, etc ...), men of letters and doctors ...

Book Title: History of the Tunisian Literature in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries.   

An Anthology of Poetry Compiled by Mohamed Salah Ben Amor

Topic: Literature    Size: 16x24
Number of pages: 368

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1990

   The Tunisian Academy Beit al-Hikma has undertaken the publication of a series of works on the history of Tunisian literature and the study of its development through the ages. Regarding the modern and contemporary periods, several academic researchers have tried to trace the epochal stages of Tunisian literature, delineate the different literary genres and show their relevance to the social context and their connection with the different cultural and educational institutions in the country. This anthology of poetry is intended to instance the study, covering the period from 1876, date when the Sadiki School was founded up to the present. 

   Among the most outstanding Tunisian poetry works and most representative of the periods during which they were written, Professor Mohamed Salah Ben Amor has selected 136 poems drawn from published collections, magazines and newspapers.

The poets are chronologically arranged according to date of birth, and introduced with brief biographical notes that give an idea about their tendencies and the value of their works; these are also arranged chronologically according to date of publication.  

   To the extent possible, this anthology is meant to be objective but does not pretend to be exhaustive. It only aims at clearly defining an important period of our literary history and heighten the interest of researchers.

Book Title: History of Tunisian Literature in the 19^th and 20^th Centuries. An anthology of Fiction Compiled by Mustapha Kilani
Topic: Literature            

Size: 16x24
Number of pages: 270   

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1990   

The Tunisian Academy Beit al-Hikma has undertaken the publication of a series of works on the history of Tunisian literature and the study of its development through the ages. Regarding the modern and contemporary periods, several academic researchers have tried to trace the epochal stages of Tunisian literature, delineate the different literary genres and show their relevance to the social context and their connection with the different cultural and educational institutions in the country.  

   A first manual has already been published, highlighting the themes and issues dealt with in the Tunisian novel in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This second booklet, which completes the first, includes an anthology of a wide range of fiction texts drawn from works by eminent Tunisian novelists such as Mahmoud Messaadi, Bashir Khraïef, Mohamed Laaroussi Metoui, Mustapha Fersi, Ezzedine Madani, Hassan Nasr, etc ... These texts differ in terms of literary trend, political stance and moral values. Some belong to the traditional mainstream, others are more modernist. Through these selections, the reader will sense the pace of the novel, discover new concerns, and witness the hustle and bustle that follows major changes, including the most intimate, most elusive changes: those of attitudes and patterns of thought.

   Therefore, it is safe to say that Tunisian literature, mainly through the novel, best portrays modern Tunisia.

I.S.B.N: 9973-911-40-7

Book Title: Heritage and Creation
A Collection of Texts and Pictures Presented by Rachida Triki
Topic: Arts

Size: 16x24     

Number of Pages: 177     

Language: French
Publication Date:  1992     

   This book is the result of research work carried out by an "Aesthetics and Sciences of the Art" research task unit at the Tunisian Academy Beit al-Hikma. It deals with the issue of heritage and creation in Tunisia.
   Various issues relating to the complex and often ambiguous nature of artistic creativity when it is thought across the different categories of heritage were highlighted through a multidisciplinary approach. The drive for creation, approach, methods and the question of meaning were all clarified through definite samples in a specific field: that of plastic arts.
   Accordingly, many review studies, herein published, deal with the history of plastic arts in Tunisia, the psychological involvement of the creators, the implications of signs and symbols, along with the aesthetic range of works of art and their relations to our heritage.
   Beautiful colour plates illustrate the book, including: "The bucket hawker" by Ammar Farhat; "Ali and Ras al-Ghul" by Ali Bellagha ; "The escape of Abdullah Ibn Jaafar with Lady Amina" by Khaled Lasram; "Calligraphy" by Youssef Rekik ; "The hashish addict" by Ali ben Salem; "Muashshah " by Abdelmajid El Bakri ; "Change or  Arab architectural style" by Néjib Belkhodja…

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-05-5

Book Title: The Peasant Uprisings in the History of Contemporary Tunisia
Author: Hedi Timoumi      

Topic: History
Size:  16x24    

Number of pages: 298    

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1993       

Book Title:   Problems of the authenticity of Arab Theatre
Author: Mohamed mediouni      

Topic: Literature
Size: 16x24     

Number of pages: 596    

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1993       

In most cultural events where actors, writers, critics, directors, and others come together, the question of the authenticity of Arab theatre is inevitably raised: What should be done for a theatrical art to take root in Arab countries feeding on the ancient civilization of the Arab nation? When shall we stop taking the western theatre as a model? When shall we assume the responsibility of meeting the aspirations of the Arab public? However, putting it this way, it is implicitly admitted that the theatre is an art that was born in the West and then has intruded into our culture in modern times.
   This study focuses on the views of Arab dramatists calling for their art to be rooted in its original social milieu. As for the period covered by the study, it extends over the past two decades. Among those who wrote on the issue, the author cites Tawfik al-Hakim, Youssef Idriss, Sheriff Khaznadar, Saadallah Wannus, Ezzeddine al-Madani, Mohamed Aziza, and many others.

   The definition of the Arab identity itself has led to controversial debates largely influenced by the ideological backgrounds of the participants, being nationalists, Islamists or progressives. Even within these sides, there are differences between the proponents of social commitment and the advocates of art for the sake of art. Strangely enough, the controversy has not addressed the issue of dialogue, but rather the theatrical expression, very much centered, according to some, on words, to the detriment of gestures. The discussions also focused on the entertaining side of drama in general.

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-13-6

Book Title: Taha Hussein as a Historian (2 volumes)
Author: Omar Mokdad Jemni

Topic: History
Size: 16x24

Number of pages: V 1: 382, V 2: 362
Language: Arabic    

Publication Date: 1993

It is commonly known that Taha Hussein, "The dean of the Arab literary men", was a maverick literary critic of ante Islamic poetry. He was also famous for his admirable autobiography ("The Book of days"). He excelled in all literary genres. But what is less known about his writings is that most of them have more or less a certain connection with history. Indeed, he was passionate about Greek and Roman history, but mostly about the Islamic history of the first century of the Hegira, namely "The Great Discord", involving Othman, Ali and his sons.

In this book, the author sheds light on Taha Hussein’s ideas about history and illustrates the influence of the Egyptian University and later of the French University on his education. He then describes his vision of history (historical development and the function of the historian); the foundations of his method (based on doubt, and the paramount importance he gives to documentation and the need for a critical approach to sources); the determinants explaining historical events ("Asabya" or esprit de corps, religion, but most importantly economic and social factors which, for him, are crucial factors); and finally the structure of his historical discourse and style which still bear a literary imprint, but without "betraying" the historical truth.

I.S.B.N: 9973-911-86-5

The author of this fascinating study goes by a certain number of critical essays which reveal that the classical Arab aesthetic conscience is chained to the ancestral consensual discourse, having become familiar, and banishes any mode of expression outside the established norms or resorting to uncommon processes. Each discourse must necessarily have a textual reference to draw on and each text a body matrix to refer to. This is to say that the aesthetics of the familiar is based primarily on memory, and at all levels.

It is perhaps a trite observation, since the Modernists regard the text as a production and not as a creation. But the insistence on reference and a body matrix in old literary criticism has a different connotation from that aimed for by modern critics. In the eyes of Traditionalists, writing would fulfill its mission only if it built on aesthetic "assets" common to both writer and reader. It all happens as if literary communication consisted in searching the memory in order to shape the discourse and laboriously reach the intended message.

Therefore, discourse is only supposed to be literary if the memory is based on ethical assets expressing the common values to the entire community and deemed worthy of praise or reprehensible; on stylistic assets regarded as eloquent, obedient to rules established by linguists and about which there has been a general consensus consolidated by custom; or on schematic assets relating to the literary genre and consisting of explicit or implicit structures governing the modes of expression of the Qacida (traditional poem) and the arrangement of its  themes.  

Book Title:   Loan Words in Modern Arabic
Author:   Taieb Baccouche    

Topic: Linguistics
Size: 16x24   

Number of pages: 544    

Language: French
Publication Date:  1994    

Book Title: Mnaouar Smadah: The Complete Poetry Works
Compiled and Established by: Abderrahim Smadah
Topic: Literature
Size: 16x24

Number of Pages: 515

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1995

The publication of the complete poetry works of Mnaouar Smadah serves a twofold complementary aim. Firstly, breathe a new life into his poems, in keeping with the original version, for a better appreciation by the readership of the nineties and later, especially that   former editions have run out for long and mostly fallen into oblivion. Secondly, illustrate through the diversity of the subjects he treated, the extent of his fertile and rich inspiration.

   The poems have been sorted out according to theme, subjected to a comparative examination from "within", and occasionally illuminated by further notes on the circumstances of their composition.

   For the first time, the complete works of Mnaouar Smadah, in verse and prose have been identified through a systematic scrutiny of the periodicals published during the fifties and sixties, but less exhaustively during the seventies. Also for the first time, the reader will find a collection of poems written at an early age, so far unpublished, revealing the liveliness of youth, but also other poems written at a later age, revealing the bitterness of life, as emanating from the days of suffering and disappointments caused by the adversities of his fate and by the disease which sapped his morale and undermined his health.

   The two fascinating epic poems "Sickles" and "Hammers" have deliberately been singled out, as the poet intended to publish them separately. In these two poems we can sense his faith in the future, despite the disillusionment caused by the failure of the socialist experience in Tunisia in the sixties.

Book Title: Rejection in the Social History of Tunisia
A Collective Work Coordinated by:  Hedi Timoumi.
Topic: History

Size: 16x24

Number of Pages: 708

Language: Arabic
Publication Date: 1999

Book Title: Ibn Sina and the Anatomy of the Brain   
Authors: Abdelkhalek Ben Rejeb and Najah Marnissi
Topic: Medicine
Size: 16x24

Number of Pages: 216

Language: French
Publication Date: 2002

Of all the basic sciences that have contributed to the development of medicine among Arabs, we can not ignore anatomy, which has for a long time been questioned. Several factors account for the fact that the scientific heritage, especially medical, of the Arab-Islamic civilization is widely scattered in different libraries across European countries, and in most cases, many books and manuscripts have been lost. Another reason is the absence of Arab researchers specialized in the study of Arab medical manuscripts in general and anatomy in particular.

   This work aims at arousing interest, curiosity and the spirit of scientific quest among researchers. It is not meant to be a historical presentation about our celebrated ancestors, or a dreamer gaze on the glories of the past. It is rather a methodological survey of often overlooked scientific facts about Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and his work on the anatomy of the brain, but also the work of his predecessors, i.e. Galen, Ar-Razi and Al-Majoussi, and successors, i.e. Ibn Nafis and especially Ibn Al-Qof.

   In order to make this research more readable, the authors have presented it in well-adapted modern medical language, emphasizing the positive and negative points regarding this issue. The authors first proceed with a brief historical overview, both general and specific, leading on to an account on the diseases of the nerve system, revealing a perfect knowledge by Muslim doctors of functional and descriptive anatomy.

The last chapter is devoted to a controversial issue: that of anesthesia and resuscitation among Arab-Muslim doctors.

Of all the basic sciences that have contributed to the development of medicine among Arabs, we can not ignore anatomy, which has for a long time been questioned. Several factors account for the fact that the scientific heritage, especially medical, of the Arab-Islamic civilization is widely scattered in different libraries across European countries, and in most cases, many books and manuscripts have been lost. Another reason is the absence of Arab researchers specialized in the study of Arab medical manuscripts in general and anatomy in particular.

   This work aims at arousing interest, curiosity and the spirit of scientific quest among researchers. It is not meant to be a historical presentation about our celebrated ancestors, or a dreamer gaze on the glories of the past. It is rather a methodological survey of often overlooked scientific facts about Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and his work on the anatomy of the brain, but also the work of his predecessors, i.e. Galen, Ar-Razi and Al-Majoussi, and successors, i.e. Ibn Nafis and especially Ibn Al-Qof.

   In order to make this research more readable, the authors have presented it in well-adapted modern medical language, emphasizing the positive and negative points regarding this issue. The authors first proceed with a brief historical overview, both general and specific, leading on to an account on the diseases of the nerve system, revealing a perfect knowledge by Muslim doctors of functional and descriptive anatomy.

The last chapter is devoted to a controversial issue: that of anesthesia and resuscitation among Arab-Muslim doctors.

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-82-9

Book Title: Adapting Islamic Legal Thought to Modern Times: Issues, Challenges and Answers.
Author: Abdelmajid Turki      

Topic:  Islamic Religion
Size:   16x24    

Number of Pages: 184    

Language: French
Publication Date: 2002   

   In the two papers herein published, Professor Abdelmajid Turki tackles a thorny issue: freedom of criticism in a divinely revealed religion, and Islam’s capability to keep pace with contemporary life.

  The first paper bears the title "Legality and Legitimacy in Islamic Juridical Thought in the face of Criticism", in which he deals with some specific cases of Ijtihad that have borne their imprint on legal modernism, and focuses on two subjects which are likely to pose serious problems to the legal thought modernization process. These are the family law and the penal and criminal procedural law, where the Coranic legislation is so clear and exhaustive. Concerning the first issue, the ‘Ijtihadists’ have strived to uphold the necessary legislation towards achieving equality between men and women. The accomplishments for the interest of women in Tunisia and Turkey seem to be gaining ground and momentum. But regarding Charia Law and punishment, the conservative movement (that is the Salafists) seems to be more resistant to change; and Ijtihad is only stuttering along in its efforts to adapt the Law, still enforced in its purely correcting spirit in many Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.

   The second paper is titled “Sustained Creativity in Legal Thought or the Prohibition of Ijtihad”. The author goes on the rational aspect of legality according to the Sunni formulation and raises objections to the doors of Ijtihad being closed. Ijtihad is seen as the means for opening up the doors of creativity, perpetuating the practices of the Prophet himself, and he provides supporting evidence.

   In these two papers, Pr. Turki summons his academic knowledge and the subtlety of his sound judgments in order to provide answers to some of the problems that Muslims in Europe have to face; answers which might seem unexpected for Muslims in Islamic countries. 

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-84-5                    

Book title: On the Articulation of letters
Author: Ibn Sina (Latinized: Avicenna)
Translated by: Nabil Radhouane Topic: Phonetics
Size: 16x24      

Number of pages: 80
Language: Arabic and French
Date of Publication: 2002    

Arrais Abu Ali al-Husayn Ibn Sina (980-1036) was one of those geniuses who had a go at all the scientific branches of his time, from medicine to law, mathematics, astronomy, pedagogy, psychology and philosophy. He wrote more than two hundred books on a wide range of subjects, including this booklet entitled: "On the Articulation of Letters". It is no wonder he was interested in philology and phonetics in particular, since the man was first and foremost an expert physician who excelled in dissection, and as such, he had missed out nothing on the anatomy of the voice box.  
Therefore, this treatise is one of the most original Arabic studies ever on phonetics. It can be subdivided into six parts:
1. "On the production of sounds" where he explains how sounds are produced either by percussion or extraction.
2. "On the articulation of letters" where he shows that the production of letters is due to the nature of the vibration of the vocal cords, making a difference between simple and complex letters (where the influence of Aristotle is obvious ).
3. "The anatomy of the larynx and tongue" (and here we see Avicenna the anatomist)
4."The Arabic letters", which he classifies according to the paradigm set up by the grammarian Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad in the eighth century.
5. Non-Arabic sounds he identified in other languages, of which he only mentions Persian, his native language. He speaks in particular of the /v/ and /p/ sounds.
6. "On how these sounds can be identified in non- articulated speech"  (referring to onomatopoeic words).  

I.S.B.N: 9973-929-83-7

Book title: Selected Works of Ahmad Abdessalam
Author: Ahmad Abdessalam
Topic: History
Size: 16x24 Number of Pages: 576

Language: Arabic (except one essay in french)
Date of Publication: 2003

History naturally takes up  a dominant position in this collection, as Professor Ahmad Abdessalam has brilliantly studied the Tunisian historians of the 17^th , 18^th  and 19^th  centuries, thus contributing to making a comprehensive inventory of sources and documents relating to the modern history of Tunisia. His research paper: "Ibn Khaldun and Justice" is published here in its entirety, because of the paramount importance of Ibn Khaldun in the Arab-Muslim thought and even in universal thought. There is also a detailed analysis of the concept of justice ('adl) and injustice (dhulm) in "Prolegomena". Also included in this collection are some extracts from  his book: "Studies on the political terminology among Arabs", along with a study in French, entitled: "Ibn Khaldun and his readers," where  we discover a reading of "Prolegomena"as interpreted by the Andalusian writer Ibn Al-Azraq, dating back to the fifteenth century .
It is commonly known, on the other hand, that Pr. Abdessalam has also shown a great devotion to reformism in Tunisia, before The French Mandatory Protectorate, through extensive research on its main proponents including Kheiredine Attounsi and Ibn Abi Dhiaf. As such, extracts from his book:"Reformist Stances in Tunisia before the Protectorate" have been selected as well as part of the introduction to
"Letters from General Hussein to Kheiredine"; but concerning his book: "Ibn Abi Dhiaf: Selected Works", it has been published here in its entirety. As a conclusion we can confidently say that this collection is a clear witness to Dr. Abdessalam’s scientifically rigorous   approach to Tunisian history. It is also a testimony to the originality of his research and ideas on literary and cultural issues (inter alia, poetry, theatre, novels, maqamat…), which had already been published in "Al-Mabaheth" magazine in the 1940’s and are republished in this collection.
I.S.B.N: 9973-929-88-8

Book Title    : Works by Mohamed Souissi
An anthology of Extracts from his books and articles
Topic: Science / History      

Size: 16x24     

Number of Pages: 562

Language:      Arabic and French

Date of Publication: 2005         

This book was published on the occasion of the symposium organized in November 2005 and dedicated to Mohamed Souissi as a tribute to his work in the service of the Arabic language and the promotion of the position of sciences in the Arab-Islamic civilization.
At the opening  of the book, there is an autobiography and an index of his works already published. The first part is devoted to samples of his works on the the Arabization of Sciences ( mathematical terminology, algebra lessons in Arabic and a trilingual glossary of medicinal plants).
The second part focuses on the history of sciences in the Maghreb and Andalusia, the role of Tunisia in the development of science, aspects of the practice of medicine from the thirteenth through the nineteenth century, etc…
Some studies, reflecting Pr. Souissi’s interest in science, were put together along with the relevant biographical annotations, and these are devoted to more or less famous scholars like Ibn Al-Banna, Ibn Al-Jazzar, Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Manzur, Ibn Al-Haytham, Omar Khayyam, Qalsadi, etc…
On the whole, this choice of extracts reveals the moderate rationalism of Pr Souissi, his humanism and his deep commitment to science.

I.S.B.N: 9973-49-020-9

Book Title: The Main Figures of Tunisian Literature during the TurkishPeriod
Author: Hedi Ben Hammouda Ghozzi

Topic: Literature

Size: 16x24    

Number of Pages: 612   

Language: Arabic

Date of Publication: 2004   

This book builds on two earlier works: "Literature during the Muradite and Husseinite Periods", and "Anthology of literature from the Muradite and Husseinite Periods", both published by Beit Al-Hikma in 1989 and 1990, respectively. Both books bear witness to a movement of revival: The Muradites, inheritors of the Hafsides, undertook a reconstruction task, renovating schools and building new Medersas (Qoranic schools) and mosques and encouraging the recruitment of teachers at all levels. The Turkish language, the official language of the new masters of the country, did not compete with the Arabic language; they simply coexisted. The administrative jargon (diwanya), the academic prose of religious scholars (fuqaha), historians and biographers had all blossomed; and the number of stylists had also bloomed, their poetry no less mannered and exquisite.  
  However, this book is an improvement on the previous two works, as extensive research has made it possible for Professor Hedi Ben Hammouda Ghozzi to dig deep into different sources, mostly MS documents (general surveys, diaries, letters, comments, encyclopedias, etc…). This rich harvest of information concerns mainly four literary figures of the Turkish period, and these are: the courtier-poet Ach-Sharif Soussi, Abu Al-Ghayth Al Qachchach, a powerful and enigmatic figure, Taj-Al Arifine Bakri, the preacher and the Qairawani compiler- historian Ibn Abi Dinar, all of whom more or less unknown.
Apart from the biographies of the four authors mentioned above, the author of this book has the merit of providing a wide range of samples from their works, prose and / or poetry (accounting for about two thirds of the book) and an annotated glossary of common terms relating to different fields during the Turkish period, along with a bibliographic index of reference books, manuscripts and periodicals.

I.S.B.N: 9973-49-001-0

Book title: Quotes from Ibn Khaldun artistically written by Saoudi calligraphists
Exhibition of paintings/ A fringe activity of the sixth centennial of Ibn Khaldun

Topic: Arts / culture

Size: 26x19    

Number of pages: 44

Language: Arabic       

Date of publication: 2006    

In the context of the second session of "Days of Arabic calligraphy" which took place in May 2006, an exhibition of paintings was held on the sidelines of the international symposium: "Ibn Khaldun and the sources of modernity."
The paintings, drawn by five most famous Saudi calligraphers, under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information, are illustrations of some of the most well-known sayings by Ibn Khaldoun on education, socilogy (umran), politics, economics and history, mostly taken from "Prolegomena" , "Book of examples"  and " The Healing of the Seeker"  .
The book also contains biographical annotations of the five Saoudi calligraphers, and these are : Nacer Maymoun, Mokhtar Ahmad, Ali Khudhari, Massoud Hafedh and Ibrahim Arafi. Their paintings illustrate different calligraphic styles, such as Farsi, diwani, thuluthi, naskhi,  of a wide variety of shapes and colours.
For the Tunisian Academy Beit al-Hikma, this exhibition was an opportunity to establish close ties between the eminent artists of the Maghreb and Mashreq in an effort to publicize the many facets of Arab-Muslim culture and its contribution to human civilization.


I.S.B.N: 9973-49-028-5

Book title:  A Collection of Essays Dedicated to Professor Dominique Chevallier

A collective work

Topic:  Culture / History

Size: 16x24

Number of pages: 348

Language: Arabic and French

Date of publication:   2006

These essays, initiated by the Tunisian Academy Beït Al-Hikma, are a tribute paid by friends, colleagues, disciples and readers to Professor Dominique Chevallier, a man of culture and an academic of world renown, but also an old friend of Tunisia.  He has actively contributed to the consolidation and diversification of studies on Islam and the Arab world and continues to focus a sharp and scholarly vision on the affairs of the contemporary arab-islamic world by formulating original ideas supported by an expert knowledge of the stakes that drive its history.  The crucial works that he has written or directed, like “The Renewal of the Arab world” (1987) or “The Arabs from the Message to History” (1995) are a testimony to crystallized thoughts nourished by experience and scholarship. 

It is little wonder then, that this book, dedicated to Dominique Chevallier, is an inter- and even trans-disciplinary work as it contains contributions by authors from a wide range of backgrounds. It is also consistent with the spirit of the person it seeks to honour, and aims at being lavishly rich in terms of points of view within a sense of the unity of concerns.   

The book also contains five lectures given by Professor Chevallier himself, including two hitherto unpublished papers: “The Heady Fumes of Lived Times” (p. 285) and “The European balance in front of the Tensions of the Maghreb and the Arab-Islamic world” (p.293).  It also includes an exhaustive bio-bibliographical note about the works of Pr. Chevallier, as well as an interview in Arabic, which he willingly agreed to give to the Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir. 

I.S.B.N:  9973-49-029-2