Tunisia
Travel Guide, Africa
Kairouan
Kairouan is the country's holiest city and the fourth most important
in the Islamic world after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. This is where
Islam first got a foothold in Africa around AD 670, and unlike other
Tunisian towns was not built on the coast due to the Arab's lack of
naval strength. Unfortunately they trod on Berber toes and were wiped
out a few years later. But they returned, only to be zapped by the
Fatimids [who dat?], bounced back - and so it went on...
Today Kairouan is one of the country's prettier cities, with a cluster
of fine buildings in the medina [old walled city], headed up by the
stunning Grand Mosque de Sidi Oqba [pictured, open mornings only to
non-Muslims].
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Photo, Africa © Julian Loader
