Ministry of the Pen

The Ministry of the Pen (Arabic: وزارة القلم, French: Ministère de la Plume) was a ministerial position in Tunisia between 1860 and the end of the monarchical regime in 1957.[1][2][3]

Bach kateb

The Minister of the Pen replaced the former role of the Bey's principal secretary (bach kateb). The bach katebs under each ruler were:[4]

Mohamed Lasram IV fell out with Mustapha Khaznadar and resigned from his post, only becoming bach kateb once again in 1855 under Mohammed Bey.[11] At his death in 1861 the post fell vacant, until Sadok Bey appointed Mohammed Aziz Bouattour, a prominent young scribe at court favoured by the Grand Vizier Mustapha Khaznadar in 1864.[12][4] A few months later, during the constitution of the first modern Tunisian government, the Ministry of the Pen was created, with Bouattour as the first office-holder.[13]

Role and responsibilities

Headed by the Minister of the Pen, the ministry included the Diwan el Incha (chancellery) composed of several secretaries and scribes working in Arabic and Turkish (Tunisia was officially a province of the Ottoman Empire) as well as in various other consular languages such as French and Italian. This chancellery was permanently based in Dar El Bey in the medina of Tunis. Its holder was responsible for drafting and presenting acts and decrees (amr) for the signature of the sovereign or his keeper of the seals (saheb ettabaa). In addition, he was responsible for keeping the sovereign's correspondence with the administration and state institutions, such as the Sharia councils, the diwan of Tunis, or the Ottoman general staff. He was also required to send the Beylical orders to the various provinces of the regency of Tunis.

Under the French protectorate, the ministry was reorganized to house both the chancellery and the central administration of the qaids the interior: it gradually became a sort of interior ministry. It was indeed renamed as the Ministry of the Interior during the second government of Mohamed Chenik in 1950, under Lamine Bey.

Officeholders
Image Nom Grand Vizier Assumed office Relinquished office
Mohammed Aziz Bouattour[14] Mustapha Khaznadar
Kheireddine Pacha
Mohammed Khaznadar (first mandate)
Mustapha Ben Ismaïl
Mohammed Khaznadar (second mandate)		 1864 1882
M'hamed Djellouli[14] Mohammed Aziz Bouattour 1882 1907
Youssef Djaït[14] M'hamed Djellouli 1907 1908
Taïeb Djellouli[14] Youssef Djaït 1908 1914
Mustapha Dinguizli[14] Youssef Djaït
Taïeb Djellouli		 1914 1922
Khelil Bouhageb[14] Mustapha Dinguizli 1922 1926
Hédi Lakhoua[14] Khelil Bouhageb 1926 1932
fr:Younès Hadjouj[14] Hédi Lakhoua 1932 1935
fr:Ali Sakkat[14] Hédi Lakhoua 1935 1935
Abdeljelil Zaouche[14] Hédi Lakhoua 1935 1936
Ahmed Ben Raïes[14] Hédi Lakhoua 1936 1941
fr:Habib Djellouli[15] Hédi Lakhoua 1941 31 December 1942
Mahmoud El Materi (Minister of the Interior) Mohamed Chenik 1 January 1943 15 May 1943
fr:Hassan Hosni Abdelwaheb[16][17] Slaheddine Baccouche 15 May 1943 July 1947
Mahmoud El Materi (Minister of the Interior) Mohamed Chenik 17 August 1950 26 March 1952

References
  1. Louis Vivien de Saint-Martin; Louis Rousselet (1894). Nouveau dictionnaire de géographie universelle: contenant 1 ̊La géographie physique ... 2 ̊La géographie politique ... 3 ̊La géographie économique ... 4 ̊L'ethnologie ... 5 ̊La géographie historique ... 6 ̊La bibliographie ... Hatchette. p. 898. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  2. Ernest Fallot (1888). Notice géographique, administrative et économique sur la Tunisie. Impr. Franco-Tunisienne. p. 50. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  3. Eugène Guernier (1948). Tunisie. Editions de l'Empire français. p. 109. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  4. Mohamed Belkhoja; Hamadi Sahli; Jilani Bel Haj Yahia (1986). Safahât min Târikh Tûnes (in Arabic). Beirut: Dar al-Gharb al-Islami. p. 121.
  5. Eugène Plantet (1899). Correspondance des Beys de Tunis et des consuls de France avec la cour, 1577-1830: publiée sous les auspices du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, avec une introduction et des notes. F. Alcan. p. 615. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  6. Muḥammad al-Ṣaghīr ibn Yūsuf (1978). Mechra el melki, chronique tunisienne (1705-1771): pour servir à l'histoire des quatre premiers beys de la famille Husseïnite. Editions Bouslama. p. 336. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  7. Hédi Slim; Ammar Mahjoubi; Khaled Belkhodja; Abdelmajid Ennabli; Azzedine Guellouz; Hichem Djaït, Abdelkader Masmoudi, Mongi Smida (2007). Histoire générale de la Tunisie: Les Temps modernes (941-1247 H. Sud éditions. ISBN 978-9973-844-76-7. Retrieved 19 April 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Revue tunisienne. 1899. p. 167. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  9. Revue tunisienne. Au Secrétariat général de l'Institut de Carthage. 1900. p. 217. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  10. Mahmoud Bouali (1976). Le temps de la non-révolte, 1827-1832. S.T.D. p. 25. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  11. Ibn Abi Dhiaf (1990). Présent des hommes de notre temps. Chroniques des rois de Tunis et du pacte fondamental. Vol. VII. Tunis: Maison tunisienne de l'édition. p. 115.
  12. Eugène Guernier (1948). Tunisie. Editions de l'Empire français. pp. 53–4. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  13. Mohamed El Aziz Ben Achour (2003). La cour du bey de Tunis: document inédit avec préface, présentation historique, commentaires, notices biographiques et bibliographie complémentaire. Espace diwan. p. 54. ISBN 978-9973-10-300-0. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  14. Belkhoja, Sahli & Bel Haj Yahia 1986, p. 130.
  15. Maâlej, Abdelkader (2008). Le Makhzen en Tunisie:les Djellouli. Tunis: Dar Tounès. p. 146. ISBN 978-9-973-70106-0.
  16. Mzali, Mohamed Salah (1972). Au fil de ma vie: souvenirs d'un Tunisien. Tunis. p. 215.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. encyclopedie de l'islam nouvelle edition etabtlie avec le concours des principaux orientalistes. Brill Archive. p. 10. GGKEY:BEQT81SRXYF. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
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