Kairouan walking tour & city guide

The Great Mosque

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also called the Mosque of Uqba after the city's founder, is one of the oldest mosques in the Islamic world. Its present form dates largely from the 9th century, with a vast marble-paved courtyard, a square minaret and a prayer hall of hundreds of ancient columns.

Medina and monuments

Inside the walls, the Mosque of the Three Doors has a carved 9th-century facade, and at Bir Barouta a camel turns a waterwheel inside a domed building. Outside the medina, the Aghlabid Basins are huge 9th-century reservoirs, and the Mausoleum of Sidi Sahab is richly decorated with tiles and stucco.

A walk through Kairouan

Begin at the Great Mosque in the northeast corner of the medina, then walk along the main street toward Bab ech Chouhada, detouring to Bir Barouta and the Mosque of the Three Doors. The medina's lanes are lined with carpet shops and bakeries selling makroudh.

Outside the walls, visit the Aghlabid Basins and the Mausoleum of Sidi Sahab.

Good to know

Kairouan is about an hour inland from Sousse and around two and a half hours from Tunis. A combined ticket covers the main monuments; dress modestly, and note that non-Muslims may view the Great Mosque's prayer hall only from the doorways.

Summers are very hot inland, so spring and autumn are the best seasons.