| Kairouan | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country | Tunisia |
| Region | Kairouan |
| Population | 187 000 |
| Postal Code | 3100 |
| website | |
Kairouan - city located in Tunisia, approx. 160 km south of Tunis, 57 km west of Susy. One of the holy places of Islam. The name of the city comes from the Arabic kairuwân - meaning a nomadic camp. Kairouan is one of the first cities in North Africa to permanently take control of Islam. Thanks to large mosques and rich cultural history, it has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Characteristic
Drive
By plane
By rail
Kairuan is not on the railroad.
By car
Kairuan is an important road junction. It is connected by roads with, among others, Sousse, Safakis, Tunis and Kafsa.
By bus
Buses run to Kairouan from the main cities: Tunis, Susy (2 hours) i Safakisu. The carpet shop horses are known to board the bus a few miles outside of town and befriend tourists to lure them to their shops.
Bus and minivan stations are located northwest of the Medina. Although they can drop you off at Medina Gate if you ask for it.
Minivans
Minivans run from many places to Kairouan; is probably the best and most common way to get into town. It takes 2 hours and 10.25 DT from Tunis (as of June 2016). There is no direct public transport between Kairouan and the city Al-Jamm, you have to change to Susie.
Communication
The medina is best explored on foot, partly to soak up the atmosphere and partly because some areas are inaccessible to anything greater. The main street connecting the Martyrs' Gate (south) with the Tunis Gate (northwest) is rather touristic.
Lots of shops close to the main mosque tempt with views of the complex, expect to look around when you leave the store if you don't buy anything a small donation would be kind.
Worth seeing
The old Medina with its narrow passages and streets is generally a nice place to wander aimlessly. If it looks familiar, it could be the same as in Raiders of the Lost Ark to double up in Cairo. For those interested in learning Islam, there are several madrasas, or Islamic schools, in the city center that are open to visitors. Three communities coexist here - Bedouins, Berbers, Arabs - you can distinguish between houses at the door - ringing the doorbell, the hands of the fatims or simply the Arabic script. The number of rings or hands also means the number of families in the same house. Green doors are mosques.
- 1 The Great Mosque of Kairouan One of the best Islamic buildings in North Africa and awarded for closer inspection. Non-Muslims are not allowed in the prayer room, but the door is open for you to peek inside. Access to the main courtyard is available to everyone. The columns throughout the complex were taken from Carthage, a wooden ceiling made of Lebanese cedar wood. In the courtyard there are floor recesses of various sizes for camel or dromedary hooves or human feet to wash before prayer. On a tiny platform in the center of the courtyard, there are also four black pins on a blackboard that indicate the times of prayer by the sun. Opposite the prayer room, on one of the left columns, there is also the last black pin for the night prayer in the moonlight.
- 2 Three Doors Mosque With one of the best facades in Tunisia, although the interior is not open.
- 3 Bi'r Barouta This well is the place where the city was founded, it is said to be associated with the ZamZam well in Mecca, it is one of the holiest places in the city for Muslims
- Governor's house The local governor's medina house on the mountain pass, this 18-room house belonged to him and his 4 wives and 21 children. Extremely beautiful and complicated interior, inconspicuous from the outside and marked as "Tapis-Sabra". Today, the carpet store is covered with rugs of all shapes and sizes. The women work on the looms, you can watch and take pictures while the old man shows you around and you can see the carpets at the end (70 DT for a small rug)
- Aghlabid Pools (After exiting the Tunis Gate, follow the road to your right until you reach the pools. About a 20 minute walk. It's in front of the Continental Hotel.). These cisterns built by the Aghlabids in the 9th century are more impressive in terms of their technical advancement than in themselves. Water was supplied via an aqueduct from the hills 36 km west of Kairouan to the smaller settlement basin and then to the huge main body of water which was 5 m deep and 128 m in diameter. There was a pavilion in the center of the main pool where the rulers could relax on summer evenings. Most visitors do nothing but peek at the cisterns from the roof of the nearby syndicat d'initiative office, but many venues are available with a ticket. When the office isn't open, the place seems to be open to everyone anyway
- Zaouia of Sidi Abid el-Ghariani This mausoleum was also a Koranic school. Mosaics from the blue mosque in Istanbul, cedar ceiling.
- Ansar Mosque Traditionally dated to 667 but completely renovated in 1650.
- Al Bey Mosque End of the 17th century.
- 4 Sidi Amor Abada Museum The museum was established in the Zawiya mausoleum - built in 1872 and containing the tomb of Cupid Abada, better known as Sidi Abada.
Next
- National Museum of Islamic Art in Raqqad Raqqāda is the site of the second capital of the 9th-century Aghlabid dynasty, located approximately ten kilometers southwest of Kairouan. It now houses the National Museum of Islamic Art, which specializes in medieval Islamic art and includes works from Kairouan, Raqqad and Al-Mansuriya, a former princely city built during the Fatimid period
make
- Sit down and have a cup of tea in a traditional teahouse if the heat is a little too hot.
- Walk around the city and appreciate the beautiful and intricate designs.
work
Science
Shopping
Kairouan is especially known for its rugs and visiting the store is an integral and sometimes unexpected part of exploring the city. Carpets are sorted according to their delicacy, number of knots per square meter, normal weave from 10,000 to 40,000, fine weave from 65,000 to 90,000 and extra fine from 160,000 to 500,000. Silk carpets can have over 500,000 knots per square meter. square meter.
Gastronomy
Kairouan's specialty is the sticky makrouhd that can be found all over Tunisia - dates, sesame and honey. You can tell most stores how much you want to spend and they'll give you a box of cookies - you can mix and match them with others!
Several main teahouses are located on the road from the Main Gate to the city center
Events, parties
Accommodation
Lots of small hotels scattered all over the city with no internet presence.
Cheaply
- Hotel Tunisia, Av. de la Republique, ☏ 216 77 231 855.
Moderate
- Hôtel Amina, Route de Tunis GP 2, ☏ 216 77 226 555.
- Continental Hotel, ☏ 216 77 231 135. In front of the Aghabit Pools, a little further from the city center (10-15 minutes walk to the Medina). 67 DT for one person, 72 with lunch (June 2016).
- Hotel Splendid, Rue 9 Avril, ☏ 216 77 230 041. 5 minutes walk from the Porte des Martyrs which is on one of the main roads of the Medina so definitely a good position. Very friendly staff that will be there 24/7. For the price, flawless (expect broken light bulbs etc - but the air conditioning works and there is hot water. 37 DT for one person but definitely negotiable (30 DT was offered in June 2016)
contact
Security
Tourist information
Where next
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