Tunisia
"Himat Al Hima" (Defenders of the Fatherland)

Words by: Mustafa Sadik Al-Rafii and Aboul-Qacem Echebbi
Music by: Mohamad Abdel Wahab
Adopted: 1987

The lyrics of the Tunisian anthem were written by an Egyptian in the 1930s. Originally just one verse, another two were added by the Tunisian national poet Aboul-Qacem Echebbi. The music was composed by the same person who wrote the music of the royal Libyan anthem and the anthem of the United Arab Emirates. The new anthem was introduced in 1987 since the previous anthem was closely tied to the government of Habib Bourguiba.

See also: Tunisia (1846-1958), Tunisia (1958-1987).