Kairouan
Tunisia · 60 m
Description
Kairouan (القيروان) was founded in 670 as the first Arab city in North Africa and is held by many Muslims to be the fourth holiest in Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Its Great Mosque, rebuilt in the ninth century, set the pattern that mosques across the Maghreb and Andalusia followed, a vast bare courtyard and a square minaret that is the oldest standing anywhere. The medina around it is a working one, known for knotted carpets and for makroudh, a semolina pastry stuffed with date paste. UNESCO listed the city in 1988.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May or October – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Great Mosque of Kairouan and its square minaret (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Medina of Kairouan and its souks
- Kairouan carpet workshops and the knotting
- Zaouia of Sidi Sahbi, the Barber's Mosque
- Aghlabid basins and their ninth century engineering
- Makroudh date pastry and the sweet shops
- Bir Barouta well and its blindfolded camel
- Mosque of the Three Doors
- City walls and the medina gates
- Mouled pilgrimage festival (annually at Mawlid)