Kairouan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the religious capital of Tunisia due to its importance to Islam. It is forth holy city of Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
It is located approx. 170 kilometers south of Tunis, so it can be visited as a day tour from the capital as I did.
It was founded in year 670 AD when Arabs conquered North Africa but in 12th century the political capital was transferred to Tunis.
However, Kairouan remained the main holy city because it had the first mosque in the first Muslim town in the west.
It has such importance that in the past, seven pilgrimages to Kairouan could take the place of the one pilgrimage to Mecca prescribed for all Muslims. Today, some people still believe this.
The medina contains some remarkable monuments including the Great Mosque, an architectural masterpiece that served as a model for several other Maghreban mosques.
Beautiful medina
Walking around the medina with no specific agenda is the best way to admire the narrow streets, blue balconies and beautifully crafted doors contrasting the worn out white walls. A collage of some of my favorite ones..
Carpet shops
Among the souks, the numerous craft shops compete with each other in the display of sweets and carpets, the true pride of the city!
Apart from the impressive old town this was my favorite part, inevitably this brings an infinite combination of colors that it´s joy to watch even if you don´t want to buy anything. You can get anything from a modest rug to the fanciest and most expensive of all.
For those worried about the “aggressive” selling techniques in this part of the world..It still the case is but provided these are big shops it´s not the same as being in open market.
I visited in low season and I didn´t feel the same pressure compared to Tunis. The trick is I was offered to be taken as many photos as I wanted with the carpets (travelling solo remember?), in exchange I just made sure I bought a small carpet.
When a palace becomes a carpet shop
The best surprise was totally hidden and I´m glad my driver took me there. The old palace of the governor of Kairouan was converted into an impressive carpet shop. Not only the hundreds of carpets decorating all floors and walls are incredible, but the palace itself having a combination of different architecture depending on the room (I have never seen something like this in the same place!)
I knew it was the perfect place to get crazy shots with my 360, provided that literally everywhere you looked there would be something eye-catching!
Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
The next sites are very typical in countries with Islamic heritage. Religious schools, mausoleums or mosques with very rich decorations and beautiful tiles. All-in-all, it´s very artistic and something worth preserving and respecting as a visitor.
Built in 17th-century, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab complex is a mosque, madrassa and the mausoleum of Abu Zama El Belaoui, one of the Prophet’s companions.
As a non-muslim, it was not possible to visit the mosque but surely the courtyards and that alone is impressively colorful!
Madrasa and Zaouia of Sidi Abid al-Ghariani
Very common in Islamic countries / islamic architecture, madrasas represent religious schools and sometimes there is also a mausoleum. While typically visitors cannot visit the mausoleum or the praying rooms, it is accessible to see the courtyards and admire its architecture.
Personally, I always find this architecture and decoration very impressive, the tile design and all the art there is magnificent to see time after time when I visit muslim countries.
This was really well preserved.
Bir Barouta Well
A curiosity is the ancient Bir Barouta Well, where water is extracted through a mechanism of wheels and buckets driven by a dromedary that circles the reservoir.
The dromedary walks in a circle, drawing water from a 17th-century holy well that legend says is connected to the Zamzam spring in Mecca… Of course, there is always a legend 😉
Keeping an animal in this place can be considered cruel by some visitors, but the well forms a large part of the city’s foundation story and is also an important spiritual ritual for many.
Getting to know local people
You know I like to keep some memories of local people I get to interact with. The first man was in the visitor center and seemed to be friends with my driver. He was very nice to tell me something about the city in basic English and accepted to take a selfie together.
Second photo is outside of one carpet shop, you see they have in common their chechia, a traditional headgear worn in the Maghreb
I will never truly know if being Mexican is that surprising in less known destinations 😉 but I feel like I always get funny reactions and I choose to feel special every single time.
And this is my goodbye to Kairouan, it was a very nice surprise. I definitely recommend going if you are in Tunisia!
Cheers! Nat
