Sights in Kairouan
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Great Mosque
The Great Mosque, in the northeast corner of the medina, is North Africa's holiest Islamic site. It's also known as Sidi Okba Mosque, after the founder of Kairouan who built the first mosque here in AD 670. The original version was completely destroyed, and most of what stands today was built by the Aghlabids in the 9th century. Entry is with the multiple-site ticket.
The exterior, with its buttressed walls, has a typically unadorned Aghlabid design. Impressions change once you step into the huge marble-paved courtyard, surrounded by an arched colonnade. The courtyard was designed for water catchment, and the paving slopes towards an intricately decorated central drainage…
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Kairouan Medina
Less commercial than other medinas in the country, Kairouan's feels even more like it ebbs and flows to a different rhythm than modern Tunisia. Most of it is given over to quiet residential streets whose rather derelict façades are set off by grand and ornate doors, and windows, arches and shutters in bright blues and greens, more reminiscent of the Caribbean than of North Africa.
It's possible to wander much of the medina without being confronted by a single souvenir-buying opportunity as virtually all of the commerce is restricted to the main north-south thoroughfare of ave 7 Novembre. Here you'll find several carpet shops selling high quality products and all the usua…
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Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
This extensive zaouia, about 1.5km northwest of the medina, houses the tomb of Abu Zama el-Belaoui, a sahab (companion) of the Prophet Mohammed. He was known as the barber because he always carried three hairs from the Prophet's beard with him, and the zaouia is sometimes referred to as the Mosque of the Barber. While the original mausoleum dates back to the 7th century AD, most of what stands today was added at the end of the 17th century.
The additions include a funduq to house pilgrims, a medersa (Quranic school) and a mosque. Entry to the zaouia is with the multiple-site ticket. The entrance is along an unusually decorative marble passageway that leads to a stunning w…
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Maison du Gouverneur
This 18th-century residence of the former beys or pashas of Kairouan called the Maison du Gouverneur, signposted as 'Tapis-Sabra', is an exquisitely restored medina house and an extravagant counterpoint to the austerity of the Aghlabids. The interior is a sumptuous combination of cedar and teak, marble latticework, plaster moulding and elegant tiled arches adorning the entrance hall, harem and reception hall where the governor received official guests and held meetings.
The house doubles, of course, as a carpet shop; after watching a woman demonstrate the painstaking art of carpet making (women make the carpets, men sell them), you'll be expected to view the carpets. If y…
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Aghlabid Basins
These cisterns, built by the Aghlabids in the 9th century are more impressive because of their engineering sophistication than as sights in themselves. Water was delivered by aqueduct from the hills 36km west of Kairouan into the smaller settling basin and then into the enormous main holding basin, which was 5m deep and 128m in diameter. In the centre of the main pool was a pavilion where the rulers could come to relax on summer evenings.
Most visitors do nothing more than peek at the cisterns from the rooftop of the syndicat d'initiative office nearby, but you can enter with the multiple-site ticket.
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Bir Barouta
The Bir Barouta, just north of ave Ali Belhouane, was built by the Ottoman ruler Mohammed Bey in 1676 to surround the well that features in the city's foundation legend. Its waters are supposedly linked to the well of Zem-Zem in Mecca. The scene itself is a little staged for the uninitiated with a blinkered camel turning the wheel to draw water from the well for people to taste.
That said, this is an important religious moment for most visitors, many of whom genuinely believe that the well is connected to Mecca. Entry is with the multiple-site ticket.
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Mosque of the Three Doors
The Mosque of the Three Doors, 250m northeast of the Bir Barouta, was founded in AD 866 by Mohammed bin Kairoun el-Maafri, a holy man from the Spanish city of Cordoba. The interior is closed to non-Muslims, but the main feature is the elaborate façade, with its strong Andalusian influences. The mosque's three arched doorways are topped by intricate friezes of Kufic script (two of which name the mosque's founder) interspersed with floral reliefs and crowned with a carved cornice. Well worth a detour.
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Zaouia of Sidi Abid el-Ghariani
Just inside the Bab ech Chouhada, the restored Zaouia of Sidi Abid el-Ghariani dates from the 14th century and contains some fine woodcarving and stuccowork. The zaouia (complex surrounding the tomb of a saint) also houses the tomb of the Hafsid sultan Moulay Hassan who ruled from 1525 to 1543. There are no official opening hours, but you're most likely to find it open in the morning. Entry is with the multiple-site ticket.
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Zaouia of Sidi Amor Abbada
This zaouia, identifiable by its seven white cupolas, was built in 1860 around the tomb of Sidi Amor Abbada, a local blacksmith with a gift for prophecy. He specialised in the production of oversized things, like a set of giant anchors (now standing north of place des Martyrs) that were supposed to secure Kairouan to the earth. Entry is with the multiple-site ticket.
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ONAT Museum
The ONAT Museum houses a collection of rugs. It could be missed, although these are the people who accredit all carpets sold in Kairouan; if you plan to buy one, look here at the various styles.
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