Alexandre Lézine
Alexandre Lézine (July 4, 1906 – March 4, 1972) was a French architect, historian and archaeologist born in Moscow. He earned an archaeology degree in 1937 and became the leading architect for Tunisia’s historical monuments, writing many works on ancient and Islamic monuments, including the palaces of Cairo.
From 1945 to 1951 he joined Pierre Montet’s Tanis expedition. In the 1950s he helped excavate Carthage and restore the Antonine Baths with Noël Duval and Gilbert Charles-Picard, and he worked on excavations at Évreux and restoration of monuments in the Eure region.
In 1949 he was named Architecte des Bâtiments de France, a senior French heritage post. Between 1950 and 1964 he worked for Tunisia’s Department of Antiquities, becoming the principal architect of the Historical Monuments of Tunisia in 1952. From 1957 to 1964 he advised the Tunisian government on Antiquities and Art and taught Islamic architecture at the University of Tunis. He also led Tunisia’s Service of Historical Monuments from 1950 to 1956.
From 1957 to 1972 he was a senior research fellow at CNRS, becoming Master of Research in 1957. He was an honorary member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres from 1962 until his death. In 1962 UNESCO appointed him an expert in Afghanistan to inspect and restore monuments. He received the Croix de Guerre (1939–1945).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 00:53 (CET).