Travel Guide Kairouan

We love the spiritual capital of Tunisia, now a Unesco World Heritage Site. Founded in 670, Kairouan flourished under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. It remained the first holy city of the Maghreb, despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century. With its medina and its markets organized by guilds, with its many mosques and religious buildings, Kairouan is therefore included on the World Heritage List for its "outstanding universal value". The city is located 150 km southwest of Tunis and 50 km west of Sousse. Fifth Tunisian city by the number of inhabitants (140 000), Kairouan is above all a high place of history and religion. It is, for the Muslims, the fourth holy city in the world after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Its Great Mosque, with its forest of marble and porphyry columns is a masterpiece of Islamic art. Many other monuments testify to the past glory of Kairouan: mosques, zaouïa, irrigation basins and ruins of a princely palace in Rakkada, outside the city. Its vocation was religious since its foundation by the Arab leader Okba ibn Nafi in 670. Isolated and surrounded by arid steppes where one could see as far as the eye could see, Kairouan was an easy city to defend from both the Berbers and the Byzantines, who had to advance in the middle of a nature familiar to Arab warriors. Moreover, it was on the path of the caravans that gave it its name (in Arabic qarwâne, from the Persian word relay). At the dawn of the 8th century, Kairouan became the capital of the Arab Ifriqiya and the base for the conquest of Spain by Tarik Ibn Ziad. Its prosperity reached its peak in the 9th century, under the Aghlabid dynasty. A century later, dethroned by the Fatimids, Kairouan lost its status as capital to Mahdia. This meant the end of its political role, but not of its religious importance. This first city of Islam was at the same time a privileged place of art, poetry and spirituality. Besides the greatest doctors of the religious law, it offered its country its best and most refined poets. It is a very special place in Tunisia where fervor inhabits the walls. If you have the choice, avoid coming on Mondays, the busiest day. The city is usually visited in the morning (many monuments are closed in the afternoon), but staying overnight in the city is a special experience!