Muhammad Saleh Al-Jaberi

Muhammad Saleh Al-Jaberi was a Tunisian researcher and scholar.

He was born in the Tunisian city of Tozeur in February 1940, and he died in June 2009 in the Tunisian city of Ariana.

Al-Jaberi specialized in recording the historical and literary movement in the Maghreb, specifically in Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia.

This could be seen in his studies and researches on Tunisian literature and culture.

As a poet, Al-Jaberi also excelled in his narratives in short stories and novels, and he leaned towards realistic narratives that combine direct recordings and history in a clear, straightforward manner.

During his early life, Al-Jaberi studied in Tozeur, and he entered a Kuttab at an early age.

Some of the positions he held include: General writer for Rabiṭatul Qalamil Jadid (The New Pen Association – which is a literary foundation founded in Tunisia in the 1950s, and which was suppressed by colonial powers, a member in the Story and Novel Foundation of The Tunisian Writers' Union, the Arab Writers Union, and the director of the cultural center in Tripoli.

Then, he attended elementary school in Ibn-Shubbaṭ elementary school until 1953 before finishing his secondary school studies in the Secondary Institution in Tozeur.

After that, he moved to the capital, Tunis, where he attended Zaytuna University where he got a certificate in 1961.

In 1979, he became a member of the ALECSO where he supervised the cultural department until his retirement in 2000.

Since then, he was appointed as the head for an encyclopedic project about notable Arab and Muslim figures and scholars.

Nineteen volumes of this project have been published so far.

He also studied in Baghdad where he obtained a licence, and he obtained a Master's of Advanced Study in Algeria in 1980 before obtaining a Doctorate degree specializing in Bayram al-Tunisi from the University of Algeria.

Al-Jaberi was a teacher in Al-Wardiya District in Tunis, as well as a high school teacher in the Tunisian city of Monastir.

Then, he became the director of literature in the Ministry of Culture before becoming the director of the Tunisian Cultural Center in Tripoli.

His novel Laylatul Sanawatil ʿAshr (The Decade's Night) was published in 1982 and it was chosen among the 100 best Arabic novels.

Al-Jaberi produced a number of radio broadcasts, including: Qasasat, and it was a weekly religious show.

He also produced a TV series which was aired on Tunisian television titled (Babul Khawkha).

In his memory, his name was attributed to a system next to the cultural center in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.