HERITAGE SITE | KAIROUAN, TUNISIA

• With a population of approximately one hundred thousand inhabitants, Kairouan is the 4th largest city in Tunisia today. A place where history truly comes alive, its 85 Musjids and 101 gravesites of scholars and saintly people make it one of the most important religious-historic cities in the Islamic world.

• The city has not developed in the same fashion as other Tunisian urban centres have over the last few decades. Many of the past traditions are therefore still upheld by the populace.

• This city had been the ‘heart’ of Islam for the entire North Africa and even parts of Spain during the 7^th century. It also became the university town where thousands of scholars and students used to reside, learning and teaching.

• Walking today through the maze of narrow streets, one can walk through more than thirteen centuries of history witnessing the quaint, picturesque homes, the numerous Musjids and seminaries as well as the many skilled artisans toiling in their workshops using the same ancient methods as their forefathers.

• A true gem of Islamic architecture and the highlight of the city is Musjid al Kabīr, which towers high above the many other Musjids that surround the old city. Its cornerstone was laid in 670 A.D. by the illustrious ‘Uqba ibn Nāfi RA. It is the second Musjid in North Africa – after the Musjid of Amr ibn al Ās RA in Egypt. Its style and aura of holiness have for centuries influenced other religious buildings throughout the western lands of Islam.

• From a distance, the Musjid appears like an enormous fortress. Its thick walls and massive 30m high-minaret remind the onlooker that indeed, at one time, the Musjid was the fortress of the faithful. The minaret, which was built in 836 C.E, is the oldest existing minaret in the world. The Musjid itself was rebuilt in the same century by the emirs of the Aghlabites, under whose sway Kairouan reached its zenith. It is today, a masterpiece of that Dynasty’s art.

• Another interesting site within the city is the huge water reservoirs which were built by the Aghlabites in the 9th century to solve the town’s water problem. As there is no natural water here, rain water was harvested during the rainy season and stored here for the remainder of the year.

• The Musjid of Abu Zum’ah al Balwi RA, a close companion of Muhammad Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam, is also found in the city. He had come to Africa as part of the Muslim force that was fighting the Byzantines. He was martyred in 654 C.E and was buried in Kairouan before the building of the city. He is locally referred to as ‘Sidi Saheb’ and is buried at a Musjid now known as the Musjid of Sidi Saheb.

• Kairouan is also home to an interesting museum which houses many old Quranic manuscripts as well as coins from every dynasty.