Dar Caïd Nessim Samama
Nessim Samama was the former Caïd of Tunisia’s Jewish community, who served the Tunisian government in the 1850s, before the creation of the French Protectorate. Nissim Samama, was born in Tunis in 1805 and rose through the ranks of government service to become one of the highest-placed officials in Tunisia’s Ministry of Finance. He was especially close to Prime Minister Mustapha Khaznadar, among the most influential personalities in Tunisian government in the nineteenth century. Samama also became the qā’id al-yahūd, the secular head of the Jewish community and was a large philanthropist of Jewish causes. In 1864, Samama left for Paris on an official mission to negotiate a loan for Tunisia, carrying with him 20 million gold francs. He never returned and died in Livorno in 1873. His passing initiated a fierce lawsuit from both sides of the Mediterranean over his large estate.
Nessim Samama organised the construction of a palace in the Hara, which opened in 1860. The immense palace contained large marble well-lit rooms. Samama hosted many socialites at lavish receptions in the palace, including for European consuls based in Tunis. After Samama’s death the building held, in addition to the Alliance Israélite Universelle, Ecoles de Filles, a synagogue in his name and a large library.
