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    Kairouan
    weetoon66 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

    Tunisia

    Kairouan

    City

    Kairouan is located inland, about one and a half bus hours west of Sousse, and was founded around 670 by Uqba ibn Nafi. Its walled Medina, with the Great Mosque, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.

    by Felix Gillen

    1. Home
    3. Destinations
    5. Tunisia
    7. Sahel & Kairouan
    9. Kairouan
    Kairouan is located inland, about one and a half bus hours west of Sousse, and was founded around 670 by Uqba ibn Nafi. Its walled Medina, with the Great Mosque, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988. The city, with around 173,000 inhabitants (2024 Census), is also known for carpets and the date pastry Makroudh. Kairouan has no train station; buses and louages stop northwest of the Medina.

    Sights in Kairouan

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Great Mosque Sidi Oqba
    Mosque

    1Great Mosque Sidi Oqba

    Founded 670, the mosque gained its current form 836 under Aghlabid Emir Ziyadat Allah I. The three-tiered minaret is approx. 31.5 meters high; in the prayer hall, 414 columns of marble, granite, and porphyry support the arches. Non-Muslims enter the courtyard and can view the prayer hall through its doors.
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    Medina of Kairouan
    Historic Landmark

    2Medina of Kairouan

    The walled old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988. Its alleys are home to carpet shops, Makroudh bakeries, Bir Barouta and the Mosque of the Three Doors.
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    Mosque of the Three Doors
    Mosque

    3Mosque of the Three Doors

    The small mosque in the Medina was founded in 866. Its facade with three arched gates and script bands is visible from the alley; the interior is not accessible.
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    Bir Barouta
    Historic Landmark

    4Bir Barouta

    The well under a 17th-century dome is said to have been dug in the 8th century. A blindfolded camel powers the scoop wheel; according to legend, the well is connected to Zamzam in Mecca. In spring 2025, the building was closed due to a change of operator, please inquire on-site for the current status.
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    Aghlabid Cisterns

    5Aghlabid Cisterns

    The two water reservoirs north of the Medina were built between 860 and 862. The large basin is a 48-sided polygon, 128 meters in diameter and 4.8 meters deep. Admission is included in the combined ticket.
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    Sidi-Sahab Mausoleum (Barber Mosque)

    6Sidi-Sahab Mausoleum (Barber Mosque)

    Here rests Abu Zama al-Balawi, a companion of the Prophet, who, according to legend, carried three hairs from Mohammed's beard; hence the name Barber Mosque. The current complex, with its madrasa and minaret, began construction in 1629 and was expanded until 1695. The walls are clad with Qallalin tiles in blue, green, and ochre, as well as carved stucco.
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    City walks in Kairouan

    Curated walking tours through the city's highlights, handpicked by experienced travel journalists.

    Through the Medina of Kairouan

    The tour follows the main alley from the South Gate Bab ech-Chouhada to Bab Tunis in the northwest, ending at the Aghlabid Basins outside the city wall. A combined ticket is required for several stops; current prices are available at the ticket offices.

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    Stops (6)

    Restaurants in Kairouan

    1

    Dar Abderrahman Zarrouk

    Restaurant in a former governor's house on Rue Darel Bey in the Medina. Guests praise the traditional decor and the lamb couscous.
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    2

    El Brija

    The restaurant is on the city wall by the Great Mosque. Its terrace overlooks the city. Guests laud the pot-braised lamb and bread.
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    3

    Restaurant Nakcha

    Tunisian and Mediterranean cuisine at moderate prices, located outside the Medina.
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    4

    Kafteji Khayri

    Street food stall in the Medina for Kafteji in bread, a city specialty. A queue forms at lunchtime.
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    Food and Beverage

    Kairouan is the city of Makroudh. You'll find this pastry mainly in the shops of the Medina.

    Makroudh

    This sticky pastry is the city's specialty, filled with dates, sesame, or honey. Just tell them in the shop how much you want to spend, and a box of mixed varieties will be packed.

    Zlabia

    Besides Makroudh, the second sweet specialty for which Kairouan's patisseries are known.

    History and Culture

    Visiting the Great MosqueAccess: The courtyard is open to all, the prayer hall only to Muslims; you can look inside through the open doorsHours: generally daily for non-Muslims until about 2 PM, shorter on Fridays; please check locallyDress: Shoulders and knees coveredCombined TicketA combined ticket is available for the Great Mosque, the Aghlabid Basins, and other monuments. Price information varies; current prices can be found at the ticket offices.CarpetsKairouan carpets are classified by knots per square meter, from simple quality with 10,000 to 40,000 knots up to extra-fine carpets with up to 490,000. Some shops are located in old townhouses, for example, in the former governor's mansion. A purchase is not obligatory.

    Arrival and Getting Around

    ArrivalBus: SNTRI buses from Sousse in approx. 1.5 hours, from Tunis in approx. 2.5 hoursLouage: Shared taxis from Sousse every 30 minutesNo Train: Kairouan is not on a railway line; change trains in Sousse for El DjemLocallyOn Foot: Great Mosque, Bir Barouta, and the Mosque of the Three Gates are in the MedinaTaxi: Useful for the Aghlabid Basins (north) and the Sidi Sahab Mausoleum (northwest of the Old City)Getting Off: Bus and louage drivers will drop you off at a Medina gate upon request

    Accommodations in Kairouan

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      • 1Great Mosque Sidi Oqba3 days
      • 2Medina of Kairouan4 days
      • 3Mosque of the Three Doors5 days
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      Kairouan
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    Nearby

    Sahel & Kairouan

    Sahel & Kairouan

    The Sahel is the coastal plain in eastern Tunisia, home to Sousse, Monastir, and Mahdia, a good two hours by train south of Tunis. Inland lie two of the country's most famous World Heritage Sites: the Medina of Kairouan with its Great Mosque and the Roman Amphitheatre of El Djem. Behind the beaches, olive groves stretch over flat hills.
    Sousse

    Sousse

    Sousse, with around 240,000 inhabitants (2024 census), is the largest city in the Sahel, on the east coast, a good two-hour train ride south of Tunis. Its walled Medina, with its Ribat and Great Mosque, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988; the Archaeological Museum in the Kasbah displays mosaics from Roman villas. To its north are the hotel zone and Port El Kantaoui marina. Medina, museum, and port are reachable by foot; the Metro du Sahel runs from Bab Jedid to Monastir and Mahdia.
    Monastir

    Monastir

    Monastir, located on the east coast between Sousse and Mahdia, has an international airport offering connections to many Western European countries. The city is the birthplace of Tunisia's first president, Habib Bourguiba; his golden-domed mausoleum and the Ribat, dating from 796, define its cityscape. The Medina, Ribat, and Marina are close together and easily reachable on foot, while Sousse is about 20 minutes away by louage.
    El Djem

    El Djem

    The Amphitheatre of El Djem is one of the largest in the Roman world, situated in a small town in the Sahel, about an hour by train south of Sousse. It was built in the first half of the 3rd century in ancient Thysdrus and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. With the same ticket, you can visit the Archaeological Museum with its mosaics and a reconstructed Roman villa.
    Zaghouan & Thuburbo Majus

    Zaghouan & Thuburbo Majus

    Around Zaghouan, about 60 kilometers south of Tunis, are two Roman sites that can easily be combined in a single day. On the hillside above the town, the Roman Water Temple collects the springs that supplied Carthage via an aqueduct. A good 20 kilometers west, near El Fahs, lie the ruins of Thuburbo Majus with its Capitol, Forum, and Baths.

    Sources & method

    • Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Google Maps. Each photo carries its credit.
    • Place data such as addresses and ratings comes from Google Maps.
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