The minaret
Among the oldest still standing.
Mohamed Amine ABASSI — CC BY 2.0 · weetoon66 — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ed Kirby — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mahdi Azouzi — CC BY-SA 4.0
The oldest and most influential mosque of the Islamic West, founded by the general Uqba ibn Nafi in 50 AH (670 AD) when he founded Kairouan itself. It covers more than nine thousand square metres and became the model for every later mosque in the Maghreb. The Aghlabids gave it its present form in the ninth century: a vast marble-paved courtyard, a prayer hall carried on a forest of ancient columns, and a massive three-tiered square minaret that is among the oldest standing minarets in the Muslim world. The mihrab is faced with ninth-century lustre tiles, beside one of the oldest carved wooden minbars to survive. The mosque was a great centre of learning, and its fame, with that of the city's other shrines, made Kairouan one of the holiest cities of the Maghreb. In the courtyard you can spot a sundial and the channels that drain rainwater into a cistern below. Muslims pray here at prayer times. Tourist visits cover the courtyard, with views into the prayer hall from its doors, from 8 am to 2 pm, and only until noon on Fridays. Women must cover their hair, and everyone should dress modestly.
Among the oldest still standing.
With its sundial.
A forest of columns.
North-east corner of the medina, Kairouan
Mosque of the Three DoorsA small mosque in the lanes of Kairouan's medina, famous entirely for its facade6 minutes walk4.4
Medina of KairouanThe historic heart of Kairouan, the first city the Muslims founded in the Maghre9 minutes walk
Aghlabid BasinsTwo great circular reservoirs built by the Aghlabids in the ninth century to sup13 minutes walk4.2
Zawiya of Sidi Sahbi (Mosque of the Barber)One of Kairouan's most important shrines, holding by tradition the grave of Abu 16 minutes walk4.4Yes, they can enter the courtyard and look into the prayer hall from its doors, 08:00-14:00 and until 12:00 on Fridays, with the Kairouan monuments ticket. The prayer hall is for worshippers.
20 TND for non-residents since April 2026, less for Tunisians and residents; it is a grouped ticket covering several monuments.