Khadija Ben Talib

A Tunisian entrepreneur who revolutionized North African textile trade in the 1800s

Khadija Ben Talib (1832–1898) was a pioneering Tunisian businesswoman who transformed the regional textile industry during the Ottoman Empire's decline. Born into a merchant family in Tunis, she inherited her father's trading network but expanded it into a multinational enterprise spanning Algeria, Italy, and France. Her introduction of mechanized looms from Europe made Tunisian textiles competitive globally, earning her the nickname 'The Silk Empress.' She broke gender barriers by managing male-dominated trade guilds and establishing the first women's cooperative in 1867. Her memoir Memoirs of a Tunisian Trader remains a primary source for understanding 19th-century Mediterranean commerce. Modern entrepreneurs like Tunisian Business Network continue her legacy through annual trade conferences.