When a team from the Central Bank of Tunisia looked into redesigning some of their
banknotes a few years ago, they knew they wanted to honor a contemporary
figure on the 10 dinar note, someone who had made significant contributions
to their country—who was, as Bank Governor Marouane El Abassi put it, “a
bearer of Tunisian expertise.”
They selected the late Tawhida Ben Cheikh (1909–2010), Tunisia’s
trailblazing first female physician, as the face of the new banknote, which
debuted in spring 2020.
Among many firsts, Ben Cheikh was the first female student in Tunisia to
receive a university degree, in 1928, and reportedly was the first North
African Muslim woman to earn a medical degree (in 1936, from the University
of Paris). She is thought to be the first modern female doctor not only in
Tunisia but in the Arab world.
Ben Cheikh has made history again, albeit posthumously, as the second woman
to have her likeness featured on Tunisian currency. She follows Elissa
(Dido), the legendary founder and queen of ancient Carthage, who first
appeared on the 10 dinar banknote in 2005. The new banknote is also
reportedly the first in the world to honor a female physician.
“I thought clearly that we need someone from the contemporary era,” said El
Abassi, adding that they were not explicitly looking for a female honoree.
“After the revolution of a decade ago, we wanted the banknotes to be a
mirror of the whole country.”
