Our institution was founded with the deep belief that language teaching and cultural exchanges can really contribute to better societies and we have been offering Arabic language courses for students since our establishment in 2007.

The Center specializes in Arabic, but offers language lessons and classes for a variety of languages from native speakers. Lessons run throughout the year and students have the option of attending group or individual courses in Modern Standard Arabic as well as courses in various dialects of Arabic such as those of North Africa and the Levant.

All instructors are native Arabic speakers from various countries including Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia who speaks Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) , their local dialect, English, and another European language such as French and Spanish. This provides a rich resource pool for students both linguistically and culturally.

Nja Mahdaoui with some students in the summer of 2012.

Nja Mahdaoui is a world-famous Tunisian artist known for his calligraphic images and contemporary style. His art is on display in many museums, on Gulf Air aircraft, as integral parts of buildings, and in a number of corporations and airports.  He stopped into the Center to give our students a few hours of his very busy schedule and share his work and answer questions in an impromptu visit. He discussed how he does not write words and as such is not a calligrapher but rather makes art from the letters. Dr. Saleh of Texas A&M University offered translations for the students, who delighted in the opportunity to meet such an important figure in the Tunisian and international art scene. In response to a question about whether political events shape his art in any way, Mr. Mahdaoui said that his art is completely uninfluenced and that he believes they should be separate from each other.  As an example of this he showed the students a small clip of a project in which he worked with some of the foremost artists in Christian and Jewish styles to create a small 18k gold tablet with over 5 carats of diamonds and the inscription “Allah” in the center to demonstrate the peace and ability of the three mainstream faiths to work together and create a singular thing of beauty. We were very excited to have such an esteemed guest visit us and enrich the experiences of our students. Shokran siNja for such a wonderful opportunity!

Center Sidi Bou Said for Languages is proud to announce the opening of our 2012-2013 Arabic Term Programs!

Check out our site for more information.

Click here to check out this great article about the return of tourism in Tunisia after the revolution from the Travel Section of the New York Times.

The International Women’s Group (IWG) of Tunis is organizing its Spring Bazaar which will take place on Saturday, March 31 from 10:00 until 16:00 at the Saf Saf restaurant in La Marsa.  There will be local vendors selling handicrafts, baked goods, books, and a large selection of products from around the world.

Center Sidi Bou Said for Languages will be running a promotional table so come and stop by during the event!

Below is a Google Maps link to Saf Saf:

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The upcoming session of Beginner II Arabic (Wed., Fri. – 18:00 – 20:00) will be held from May 2 until June 8.  Please arrive at the Center a few minutes before the start of the course to complete registration.

Center Sidi Bou Said for Languages is currently offering one-hour live online sessions for students considering enrolling in our Arabic program.  Contact us today to schedule your free online lesson with one of our instructors!

We would like to take a moment to express our appreciation for everyone who made it to the Fundraiser for Syria yesterday.  The turn-out was very encouraging and we would like to thank everyone for coming  and supporting the cause.  Everyone expressed concern and support for many reasons, whether in solidarity with the Syrian people, for loved ones or for their own experiences in cities such as Damascus.  All of the donations and money raised by the sale has been passed on to the Red Crescent to help victims of the regime brutality.