Kairouan

Kairouan is revered as the fourth most important holy city in the Muslim world after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The city is Tunisia’s spiritual centre and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kairouan’s foundation dates back to 670 AD when the Arab general Okba Ibn Nafi halted here and established the site as a holy place due to a divine revelation. As the capital of the Aghlabid empire in the 9th century, Kairouan became one of the world’s great cities. During this period, only the town’s reputation for scholarship outshone its glorious buildings. Preeminent amongst the city’s monuments is the Great Mosque of Okba, one of the largest and oldest mosques in the country. Fortress-like walls and a towering square minaret dominate its exterior. The interior features an enormous central courtyard graced by 611 beautiful re-used Byzantine and Roman columns.

A walking tour is the best way to appreciate Kairouan’s attractive medina and souqs and see the city’s artisans at work. At the Bir Batouta, a decorated camel draws water from a well, which some say was found by Okba Ibn Nafi in 670 and is connected with the well of Zam Zam in Mecca. Nearby, the Mosque of the Three Doors is noted for its elaborate external decoration. Located outside the city’s 8th-century walls are the large reservoir-like Aghlabid pools intended to reduce Kairouan’s summer heat and the lively Mosque of the Barber (also known as the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab). This ‘Barber’ was a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and distinguished himself by always carrying three hairs of the Prophet’s beard on his person.