Kairouan, Tunisia: You Don’t Need Long To Fall Under Its Spell

In April 2026, I took my first trip to Tunisia. From Tunis, I explored other cities, including Kairouan, located in the center of the country. I had booked an organized tour, and we arrived bright and early.

The Great Mosque Of Kairouan: A Landmark Of The Maghreb

The Great Mosque is also known as the Mosque of Uqba Ibn Nafi.

It is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia and the oldest sanctuary in the Muslim West. Kairouan is sometimes considered the fourth holiest city in Sunni Islam.

The mosque and the entire historic city center were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, which is no small thing. For many Tunisians, completing seven pilgrimages here is considered the equivalent of making the journey to Mecca.

A Fortress Built From Roman Ruins

The building has the feel of a fortress and incorporates a rather eclectic mix of elements. The reason? Columns and carved stones taken from Roman monuments were used to embellish the structure. Early Christian and Byzantine elements sourced from several ancient sites (including Carthage) were also incorporated.

It could have looked like a patchwork, but it actually gives the place a certain charm.

Can Tourists Visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan?

Tourists can enter the mosque’s courtyard for a fee, but only Muslims are allowed into the prayer hall. The doors, however, remain open, and you can still peek inside.

One interesting detail: there’s a “VIP prayer room” at the back, reserved for princes. It wasn’t really about luxury… Apparently, they had to set it up because the population had a tendency to rough up the princes…

We finished touring the mosque and made our way into the medina.

Exploring The Medina Of Kairouan

The streets were quiet, which made sense, since it was still early on a Sunday morning. Old and new blend together: street art alongside classic colorful doors.

Our guide told us that traditional craftsmanship is increasingly hard to find in Kairouan. There used to be real know-how here, but since tourists rarely spend the night in the city, they don’t linger long and tend to buy souvenirs rather than genuine, quality traditional pieces. It’s a bit of a shame.

The medina is quite picturesque and feels more authentic than Sidi Bou Said, to be honest. A horse-drawn cart passed us by, and we spotted it again a little later in the main square.

Bir Barrouta: Kairouan’s Ancient Water-Drawing Well

Our guide led us to a building housing an ancient well. We went inside, and on the upper floor, a camel was harnessed to a horizontal wheel. As it walks in circles, the wheel turns and draws water from the well.

The camel was in rough shape, and it made me a bit sad. I asked the guide how they get it in and out of the building and up to that floor. His answer wasn’t entirely clear, but he seemed to say that the camel lives there permanently, that many before it had done the same work and died there.

The Mosque Of The Three Doors And Its Andalusian Roots

Kairouan has several smaller mosques in addition to the Great Mosque. We paused in front of the Mosque of the Three Doors to admire its architecture and its ancient ornamentation dating back to the Aghlabid dynasty. The mosque’s founder came from Córdoba, which explains its Andalusian influences, like the minaret style, for instance.

A Ceramics Museum With A Striking Resemblance To Southern Spain

We also visited another site that has since been converted into a ceramics museum. The resemblance to buildings in southern Spain was striking: the central courtyard decorated with tilework and the striped columns. In one of the rooms, if you close the door, the stained glass windows seem to glow like candlelight, they shine so brilliantly in the dark.

Makroud: Don’t Leave Kairouan Without Trying It

Another specialty of Kairouan is makroud. I had been told it was the best in Tunisia, but I didn’t come across any shop during our visit and had to settle for the version from Tunis which, to be fair, was very good!