Tunisia
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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