Kairouan

Kairouan's official information site www.kairouan.org	Map of Tunisia	Gute Fahrt - Bonne Route - طريق السلامة	Road sign for Sfax and Kairouan
Old French colonial era church in Enfida, Tunisia	Old French colonial era church in Enfida, Tunisia	Stocky minaret near Enfida enroute to Kairouan	Barren plains surrounding Kairouan, the first settlement founded during the Arab conquest of Tunisia in 670 AD
The open plains around Kairouan, Tunisia	Women riding a donkey cart with hay along the road to Kairouan	The road to Kairouan	Landscape around Kairouan
Monument in the form of a carpet welcoming you to Kairouan	Low building outside the Aghlabid Basins, Kairouan	Aghlabid Basins, Kairouan	Aghlabid Basins, Kairouan
Aghlabid Basins, Kairouan	Aghlabid Basins, cisterns on the edge of Kairouan, 9th C. AD, 5m deep x 128m	The water in the Aghlabid Basins comes by aqueduct from the hills west of the city	Hotel Continental, a place basking in former glory
The rooms at the Hotel Continental are fine but the whole place lacks character	Slim and his infamous swimming fish	The new President (since 1987) Ben Ali of Tunisia	Tile map of the Kairouan
Plan de la Ville de Kairouan	Tile map of the medina of Kairouan	Agence Nationale du Patrimoine Association de Sauvegarde de la Ville de Kairouan	UNESCO World Heritage site - the Medina of Kairouan
Minaret of the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab, the tomb of Abu Zama el-Belaoui a companion of the Prophet Mohammed	Minaret of the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Most of the current building is 17th C. on a 7th C. site	The guards of the prison behind me are twitching nervously at the site of a foreigner with a camera
Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Ceramic tile panels, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab		Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
Tunisian brass lantern hanging in a corridor, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Tunisian style Islamic tiles, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Glazed ceramic tiles, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Ornate carved stonework, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
Ornate carved stonework, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Woman sitting by a door	Abu Zama el-Belaoui, sahab (companion) of Mohammed, always carried 3 hairs from the Prophet's beard earning him the title Barber	Courtyard, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab, also known as the Mosque of the Barber
Detail of the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Courtyard, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Tunisian glazed tiles, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab, Kairouan	Ornate carved stonework, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
Watchmen keeping non-muslims from entering the tomb	Prayer rugs piled in a corner of the mosque	Kairouan is the 4th Holiest City of Islam, after Mecca (Makkah), Medina and Jerusalem (Al-Quds)	Zaouia of Sidi Sahab
White dome, Zaouia of Sidi Sahab	Brick dome across from the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab, Kairouan	Street scene in Kairouan as we head for the medina	Monument to Allah, Kairouan
Musée de l'Artisanat, aka Giftshop, Kairouan	View of the Great Mosque of Kairouan from the terrace of the Musée de l'Artisanat, one of several open to tourists	Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Rue Okba ibn Nafaa, Kairouan
Enclosed balcony, Kairouan	Young cabinet maker at work, Kairouan	Boys in another carpentry workshop in the medina of Kairouan	The Great Mosque of Kairouan, the oldest in North Africa, dates from 670 AD with the present structure built in the 9th C.
Ablutions block of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Ablutions block of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Entrance to the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Rue el-Kadraoui, Medina of Kairouan
The salvaged dome of a medina building undergoing total reconstruction	Guidelines for visiting the Great Mosque	Entrance to the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Official price list of hand woven Tunisian carpets based on knot count
View of the 9th C. minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan from an adjacent terrace	View of the 9th C. minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan from an adjacent terrace	Courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Pedestrians strolling down Rue Okba ibn Nafaa along the wall of the Great Mosque
Low end machine made carpets for the tourist market	Tunisian tilework, Kairouan	Carpets depicting touristy scenes of Tunisia	Map of the Medina of Kairouan in Tunisian tilework
Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan
Minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Centre D'Artisanat de Tapis - one of Kairouan's many carpet shops, "Large Selection, Shipping to All Countries"	Great Mosque of Kairouan, northwestern end	Great Mosque of Kairouan
Looking back along Rue Okba ibn Nafaa along the wall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Carpet shop near the Great Mosque on Rue Sidi Abdelbader, Kairouan	Tapis des Aghlabites carpet shop, Kairouan
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Rue de la Kasbah, Medina of Kairouan
This fancy giftshop has a great rooftop terrace view	Another rooftop terrace affording a great view of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	The shopkeepers didn't harass me much for not buying anything	Courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Cemetary just outside the medina walls, Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Rue El-Habli, Kairouan Medina	Blue doorway, Rue de la Kasbah, Kairouan	Double blue doors, Rue de la Kasbah, Kairouan
Rue de la Kasbah, Kairouan	TunisiaMay06 202.jpg	Zaouia Sidi Abdelkader - Tomb of Abdelkader, Kairouan medina	Zaouia Sidi Abdelkader - Tomb of Abdelkader, Kairouan medina
Kairouan Medina	Kairouan Medina	Back to the Great Mosque	Great Mosque
View from the top of a building under renovation Dad and Slim found	Kairouan Medina and Great Mosque	Kairouan Medina	Kairouan Medina looking out towards the barren plains surrounding the city
Dome in the Kairouan Medina	Great Mosque in the distance	Painter applying stenciled artwork to a dome under restoration	Traditional house under restoration, Kairouan medina
Traditional house under restoration, Kairouan medina	Kairouan Medina	Kairouan Medina along Rue de la Kasbah	Kairouan Medina along Rue de la Kasbah
Tapis El Kasba, Kairouan	Tapis El Kasba, Kairouan	Tapis El Kasba, Kairouan	Traditional Tunisian houses aren't big on windows
Dad knocking on the Kasbah door with Slim	Mosque on Ave Ibn el-Jazzar outside the medina walls, Kairouan	Minaret outside the Kairouan medina near the Hotel la Kasbah	Minaret outside the Kairouan medina near the Hotel la Kasbah
Avenue Ibn el-Jazzar, Kairouan	Avenue Ibn el-Jazzar, Kairouan	Avenue Ibn el-Jazzar, Kairouan	The massive walls of the Kasbah, Kairouan
The Kasbah (fort) of Kairouan is now an upmarket hotel	Hotel La Kasbah - Kairouan	El-Kasbah - ÇáÞÕÈÉ	Lobby of the Hotel la Kasbah
Pool in the courtyard of the Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Inside the walls of the old Kasbah, Kairouan, now part of the hotel
Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan	Dad and Slim at the Hotel la Kasbah, Kairouan
La Kasbah, Kairouan	The Kasbah meets the Medina, Kairouan	Bab Tunis, Kairouan Medina	Bab Tunis, Kairouan Medina
Bab Tunis, Kairouan Medina	Bab Tunis, Kairouan Medina	Bab Tunis, Kairouan Medina	Shop in the souq near the Bab Tunis
Kairouan kitty taking a catnap	Rasins, souq of Kairouan	Ave 7 Novembre is the main commercial street through the souqs of Kairouan connecting the Bab Tunis with Bab El-Chouhada	Dolls and toy camels, Kairouan medina
Horsecart driving along Av 7 Novembre, Kairouan medina	Jamaica fan on a bike in the Kairouan medina	Young man selling slices of the Kairouan delicacy makhroudh ( مقروض )	The Hammam of Kairouan
Dusk falls over the Kairouan medina	Souq salesman, Kairouan	They look like kitty beds to me but you fill them with stuffing to make small stools	Stuffed horses and camels, Kairouan souq
Traditional clothing, Kairouan souq	Maghreb style hooded robe, Kairouan	Minaret silhouetted against the darkening sky	Tunisian sandals (bulagha - ÈáÛÉ) Kairouan souq
Tunisian leather slippers, (bulagha - ÈáÛÉ) Kairouan souq	Although Kairouan has no ancient history there are some shops selling mosaics	Tunisian ceramics, Kairouan souk	Ceramic lamps, Kairouan souq
Carpet shops near the Bir Barouta, Kairouan medina	Bir Barouta, built over a well in 1676	Bir Barouta's camel powered well is traditionally said to be linked with the holy Zam Zam well in Mecca	The camel had the evening off
Slim arranged tea for us with Kairouan's director of tourism	The young son of Kairouan's director of tourism	The young son of Kairouan's director of tourism	Jewellery shop in the Kairouan souq
Evening in the souq of Kairouan	Kairouan	TunisiaMay06 327.jpg	Segni, specialities of Kairouan, the best makhroudh ( مقروض )
Segni makhroudh shop, Kairouan	Makhroudh ( مقروض ) specialities of Kairouan	Makhroudh ( مقروض ) specialities of Kairouan	Tiles of a woman making makhroudh, Segni
Tile of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Segni makhroudh shop, Kairouan	Tile of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Segni makhroudh shop, Kairouan	Place des Martyrs, Kairouan	Bab al-Chouhada
Bab el-Chouhada	Shop on Place des Martyrs at night, Kairouan	Shop on Place des Martyrs at night, Kairouan	A book in a Tunisian bookstore
Late in the medina	Leather craftsman in his shop, Kairouan	Medina of Kairouan at night	Mosque of the Three Doors, 866 AD
Mosque of the Three Doors, 866 AD	Kairouan medina at night	Kairouan medina at night	Fancy door in the Kairouan medina
Kairouan medina at night	Kairouan medina at night	Palatial door, Kairouan Medina	Great Mosque of Kairouan at night
Great Mosque of Kairouan at night	Great Mosque of Kairouan at night	Back on the Rue Okba ibn Nafaa the next morning	Morning visit to the Great Mosque of Kairouan
Arcade around the coutryard of the Great Mosque	Courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Courtyard of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	The Great Mosque of Kairouan, oldest in North Africa and 4th Holiest in Islam
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan
Sundial, Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Basin in the courtyard of the Great Mosque
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan prayer hall
Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Great Mosque of Kairouan	Medina of Kairouan
Tapis Okba, a carpet shop near the Great Mosque	Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina
Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina
Small mosque in the Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Weaver working his loom, Kairouan	Mosque of the Three Doors, Kairouan
Kairouan medina	Place Zarrouk, Kairouan medina	Place Zarrouk, Kairouan medina	Bir Barouta, Kairouan medina
Bir Barouta, Kairouan medina	Bir Barouta, Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Minaret, Kairouan medina
Kairouan medina	Ville Nouvelle, Place des Martyrs	TunisiaMay06 479.jpg	TunisiaMay06 480.jpg
Looking through the Bab El-Chouhada	Looking through the Bab El-Chouhada	Medina at the Bab el-Chouhada	Kairouan medina
Mosque minaret with Arabic script in brickwork	Mohammed is the Messenger of God	Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina
Kairouan medina	Clothing on sale at Kairouan's souq	Souq in the Kairouan medina	Old man in traditional clothes, Kairouan
Kairouan medina	Tunisian ceramics on sale in Kairouan	White dome, Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina
Kairouan medina	Kairouan medina	Ave 7 Novembre leading to the Bab Tunis	Bab Tunis, Kairouan
Bab Tunis	Place de Tunis, Kairouan	Tunisian men in Kairouan	Place de Tunis, Kairouan
Kairouan	Mosaic on the building housing Becha rent-a-car, next to the Hotel la Kasah	Tile signs on the walls of the Kasbah, Kairouan	Donkey parked next to the Kasbah
Libyan, Phoenician, Latin and Arabic alphabets used over time in Tunisia	A kitted out Land Rover Defender with German plates (LB EM 3108)	Friends of the Sahara	Tank up before heading out of town