Introducing Kairouan
The walled city of Kairouan is one of Islam’s most holy cities, where praising God and selling carpets are the most revered of occupations. If you haven’t been lost in any of Tunisia’s other medinas, the streets of Kairouan are sure to confound you. The crumbling, white-washed, blue- and green-edged houses, some hung with birdcages or marked by the hand of Fatima, are haunting and beautiful. It was here that Arabs established their first base when they arrived from the east in AD 670, and Kairouan became so important in the Islamic hierarchy that seven visits to this tiny place equal one visit to Mecca.
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Watch out for tiresome carpet touts and people offering ‘professional guide services’, as well as those telling you of a one-day carpet festival ‘which will finish very soon’.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Backpacking in Tunesia
by thomas69 01 June 2012
Dear all, at the end of June I would like to go for approx. 10 days to mainland Tunesia with my backpack. Possible destinations might…
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Re: Where is the best base? Sousse or Hammamet?
by sandstoneandamber 06 May 2012
I stayed in Sousse and loved it, including a side trips to El Jem, Kairouan, Chott El-Djerid salt lake, and the desert http://sandstoneandam…
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Re: Don't go
by wasleys 01 May 2012
We spent a month in Tunisia from mid March to Mid April and this report is completely contrary to our experience. We found most Tunisians…
Hotels & Hostels in Kairouan
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Hôtel La Kasbah
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