Avenue Habib Bourguiba the west, the artery ends on the Place de l'Indépendance (Independence Square). The space is framed by the French Embassy and Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul. At its centre stands a statue of the Tunisian philosopher and historian Ibn Khaldoun, looking towards the Avenue Habib Bourguiba and lake beyond. It had originally been intended for the statue to be erected on June 1, 1978, on the anniversary of Habib Bourguiba's return to Tunis after the French colonialism, but it did not take place until July 3. The French Embassy in Tunisia, opening on the south side of the square,
Habib Bourguiba Bourguiba often participated in political debates, read newspapers and followed closely the evolution of French politics during the Third Republic. Sensitive to the ideas of Leon Blum, following the Congress of Tours, he was opposed to the Bolsheviks and got interested in Gandhi's process to transform the Indian national Congress in a powerful mass organization. In addition, he showed a great interest in his Tunisian fellow, Mahmoud El Materi. After vacations spent between Mahdia and Monastir, Bourguiba returned to Paris for the start of the 1925–26 school year, worried about the nationalist struggle in his country. His conditions improved as