"Kairouan - Tunisias Holy City" Kairouan by MikeAtSea

The old town of Kairouan has fascinated many artists. It derives from the tight network of little streets, passageways, archways and fluted cupolas with a mellow whiteness, all blending in beneath the protection of the Great Mosque with its majestic minaret.
The souqs are dedicated to commerce, divided up according to trades and are a constant buzz of activity. Close by in the silent little alleyways between long which walls interspersed with pale blue doors female silhouettes hurry past wrapped in immaculate veils, sometimes passing groups of happy shouting children. All around these historic neighbourhoods the light brick crenulated ramparts punctuated by towers and bastions, succeed in giving the old town the venerable appearance of standing outside of time.
Kairouan is a fascinating and welcoming secret of Tunisia and with that one of the jewels of Tunisian heritage. The former capita of the Aghlabid emirs nestles far from the shoreline in an austere region of steppes. The city is rich in historical memories and remarkable monuments.
The city is also the forth holiest Muslim sight in the Islamic world, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. A few years ago non-Muslims needed a special permit to visit Kairouan.