The Holly Islamic City of Kairouan

Kairoun: A Holly Islamic City

Kairouan is situated 160 km south of Tunis. Kairouan is an Arabic name, which means strong city. Founded in 670 as the base of a military and religious settlement founded by the Arab knights of Okba Ben Nafi, the city became a sacred place of Islam for the whole Arab world.

The site was probably chosen due the fact that the coastal cities were constantly threatened by Byzantine invasion and destruction and the need to find an alternative to Carthage. 5o km from the sea, this site had the advantages of being far from the coast and in the center of Tunisia, which permitted it to spread its influence over all parts of the country. At the same time, by founding the city far from the Byzantines incursions, Okba underlined the Muslim nature of the city with a great mosque facing Mecca.

Okba Ben Nafi’s Mosque

The military architecture of the coastal cities of Tunisia was inspired by the Kairouan , square fortresses with walls flanked by semicircular towers. After the Fatimid period and from the century onwards, the city gained independence from Baghdad under the Aghlabite dynasty and was developed economically, religiously and culturally. Kairouan became a holy city to the extent that seven pilgrimages to it were considered equal to one pilgrimage to Mecca.

View of the Aghlabite Basin outside the old city of Kairouan

The transfer of the nations capital to Mahdia by Obeid Allah El Mehdi, the rebellion of Abou Yazid in 953 and finally the sack of the city by the hordes of the Beni Hillal tribes in 1507 culminated in the ruin of the city, dethroned by Tunis, now the political capital. Despite all, Kairouan is still the most sacred city in the Magreb. Thus it is the most Muslim city in Tunisia with superbly beautiful palaces and mosques. The finest carpets still come from there. Besides the Great Mosque, which is an architectural masterpiece with its courtyard bordered by porticos on ancient columns, the visitor must not miss the mosque of the Barber whose walls are covered with wonderful colored tiles. Outside the city, the Aghlabite basin witnesses the importance of the city’s past.

Back to Country by Region