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 VizierMustapha 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.
^
abcIbn 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.
^Eugène Guernier (1948).
Tunisie. Editions de l'Empire français. pp. 53–4. Retrieved 20 April 2021.