Sidi Bou Saïd hosts oud festival forum on 23 October
Published on 10/18/2026 at 02:00 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Sidi Bou Saïd will host a forum from the Festival international du Oud at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace in Tunis, Tunisia, on 23 October 2026. The programme is part of the festival running from 16 to 24 October 2026 and brings the oud into a palace that houses the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music.
The oud festival reaches Ennejma Ezzahra on 23 October
The fourth Festival international du Oud is organised by the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club under the authority of Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Tunis regional cultural delegation. Its nine-day programme includes concerts, workshops, meetings, a competition and research-focused discussions.
On 23 October, the programme lists a scientific forum at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace on contemporary critical approaches and the renewal of Tunisian oud music. The same day includes a Lebanese evening at the palace, while Dar Lasram is scheduled to host a concert by Lebanese oud player Charbel Rouhana with Elie El Khoury and Makram Aboul Hosn, followed by the competition prize ceremony. The festival programme for 23 October places the forum at the palace.
The wider festival began on 16 October with an exhibition of Tunisian and oriental ouds, a luthier’s workshop and an opening concert by Zied Gharsa. It ends on 24 October with a concert by Trio Joubran at the Opera Theatre of the City of Culture in Tunis, according to Réalités’ festival report.
Why the palace fits a festival about musical heritage
Ennejma Ezzahra Palace is a substantial residence built by Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger between 1912 and 1922 on the hillside below the village. The Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music, known as CAMM, was established on 20 December 1991 and operates under Tunisia’s Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
CAMM combines museum work with the promotion and study of musical heritage. Its collections and departments include the National Sound Archive and a workshop for making and restoring instruments. That institutional role gives the 23 October forum a direct connection with the palace’s present purpose, rather than making the venue a detached concert setting. The Centre’s official history records the palace, its dates and its music archive.
What the 23 October programme means for visitors
The event offers a public cultural programme centred on the oud, with the forum and Lebanese evening forming the Sidi Bou Saïd part of a festival spread across Tunis. Other listed venues include the Tahar Haddad Cultural Club, Dar el Oud Ettounsi, Dar Lasram and the City of Culture.
The programme also shows how the festival moves between performance and research. Its competition, instrument-making activities and discussions place the oud beside the palace’s museum and archive functions, while the closing concert returns to a larger theatre setting in Tunis.
Visiting Sidi Bou Saïd: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The forum and Lebanese evening are listed at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace in Sidi Bou Saïd on 23 October 2026.
- The festival runs from 16 to 24 October 2026, with additional concerts, workshops, competition events and discussions at venues across Tunis.
- The palace stands on the hillside below the village of Sidi Bou Saïd and houses the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music, the National Sound Archive and an instrument-making workshop.
- Arabic is Tunisia’s official language and the national currency is the Tunisian dinar.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Sidi Bou Saïd
When does the oud forum take place at Sidi Bou Saïd?
The scientific forum is scheduled for 23 October 2026 at Ennejma Ezzahra Palace as part of the Festival international du Oud.
What is Ennejma Ezzahra Palace?
It is a residence built by Baron Rodolphe d’Erlanger between 1912 and 1922 and now houses the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music.
Where is Sidi Bou Saïd and how do you get there?
Sidi Bou Saïd is a hillside village north of Tunis, and Ennejma Ezzahra Palace is located below the village.
