Cities and regions／Tunisia
City or town ·

Kairouan

Kairouan brings together a lived-in medina, religious architecture and historic water infrastructure. The Great Mosque, Aghlabid Basins and medina workshops offer distinct perspectives on the city.

Courtyard and minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan
Photo by MAREK SZAREJKO from CLONMEL, IRELAND - POLAND Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0
The place

What makes it special

  • The Great Mosque of Uqba ibn Nafi has a courtyard, minaret and hypostyle prayer hall.
  • The Aghlabid Basins are two connected cisterns built in the ninth century.
  • The medina’s residential lanes include craft workshops and call for considerate walking.
Aghlabid Basins in Kairouan
Photo by weetoon66 Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0
Street and artisan workshop in Kairouan medina
Photo by IssamBarhoumi Source: Wikimedia Commons Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Travel atlas

Articles in Kairouan

Guides to this place

1 article

Kairouan

journal.travel Editorial

Guides to this place

1 related guides

Courtyard and minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan

Kairouan on Foot: Mosques, Aghlabid Cisterns and Medina Workshops

A well-planned day in Kairouan brings together the Great Mosque, the Aghlabid Cisterns and the medina’s streets without mistaking a place of worship for a backdrop.

Read guide →
Information in context

Sources and references

This profile summarises our destination guides. Their research sources and the geographical reference are listed below.

Profile updated: 02/10/2026