Kairouan

Kairouan can be seen in a day from the Sahel beaches, but it makes more sense with a night in the medina. Founded in 670 and capital of the Aghlabids in the 9th century, it is the leading holy city of the Maghreb and the cradle of its mosques: the Great Mosque served as the model for those of North Africa and al-Andalus, Muslim Spain. In 1988 UNESCO listed the medina, 54 hectares within the walls, and its suburbs, a further 20 hectares. The city is 56 km from Sousse, about 45 minutes by road, and 67 km from Monastir Airport.

Planning your visit: it all happens in the morning

The religious monuments close early, at 2 or 3 pm local time, and earlier still on Fridays, the day of the main weekly prayer. The simplest order:

1. At opening time, the Great Mosque: 8 am in winter, 7:30 am in summer.
2. Mid-morning, the Zawiya of Sidi Sahbi.
3. Late morning, the Mausoleum of Sidi Abid el Ghariani, weekdays only.
4. Afternoon, the medina: souks, the Bir Barrouta well, carpet workshops.
5. Another day, the Raqqada museum, outside town.

The combined ticket for Kairouan's monuments has cost 20 Tunisian dinars (TND), about €6, for non-residents since 1 April 2026, and rises to TND 30, about €9, on 1 January 2027. Our sites and museums guide explains the prices, and our customs and etiquette guide the modest dress expected at religious sites.

The Great Mosque, or Uqba Mosque

This was the first mosque founded in the Maghreb. Rebuilt in 771 and again under the Aghlabids in the 9th century, it set the pattern for the region's great mosques. Non-Muslim visitors are admitted to the courtyard and look into the prayer hall from its doorways.

• Hours: 8 am to 2 pm in winter, 7:30 am to 2 pm in summer, until noon on Fridays, local time.
• Entry: included in the combined ticket.

The mausoleums

• The Zawiya of Sidi Sahbi holds the tomb of Abu Zamaa al-Balawi, a companion of the Prophet; it is also called the "Barber's Mosque". The 17th-century complex, built over a Hafsid-era shrine, is a sequence of tiled courtyards and halls. Open 8 am to 3 pm in winter, 7:30 am to 2 pm in summer, until 1 pm on Fridays.
• The Mausoleum of Sidi Abid el Ghariani, from the 14th century, has Andalusian-style coffered wooden ceilings. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays; on weekdays it opens 8 am to 3 pm in winter and until 2 pm in summer.

The medina and its crafts

Within the walls, the Mosque of the Three Doors dates from the 9th century. At the Bir Barrouta well, a camel still turns the wheel. The souks are carpet souks: hand-knotted rugs with a central medallion, kilims and flat-woven mergoums. Several women's weaving workshops welcome visitors.

Kairouan's sweet speciality is makroudh, a pastry of semolina, dates and honey.

The Aghlabid Basins, reservoirs built in 860-862 by the emir Abu Ibrahim Ahmad, are part of the UNESCO-listed property: a 17-metre settling basin holding 4,000 m³, a large storage basin and cisterns. They have been under restoration since July 2025, for a period announced as two years.

Raqqada, the museum of Islamic art

Outside town, the National Museum of Islamic Art at Raqqada displays lustreware ceramics, gold coins and Koran leaves from the first centuries of Islam. Closed on Mondays; 8:30 am to 5 pm in winter and 9 am to 4 pm in summer; TND 5, about €1.50.

Mouled in Kairouan

Kairouan is the city of the Mouled, the festival of the Prophet's birthday; Bourguiba made it the venue for the official celebrations. In 2026 the festivities ran from 15 to 25 August, and the 2027 Mouled is expected around 14 August. See Mouled in Kairouan for the programme. During Ramadan, expected from 8 February to 9 March 2027, the monuments change their hours: see our Ramadan and public holidays 2027 guide.

When to go

Kairouan lies inland and is hotter than the coast in summer. Average highs range from 18 °C in January to 38 °C in July, against 33 °C in Monastir in August; from June to August, sightsee early in the morning. Spring, April to May, and autumn, October to November, are the best seasons.

Getting there

• From Sousse: 56 km, about 45 minutes. A guided tour of Kairouan from Sousse or Monastir starts at about €46 per person.
• From the airports: Monastir 67 km (55 minutes), Enfidha-Hammamet 65 km (1 hr), Tunis-Carthage 174 km (2 hrs 30).
• Without a car: coaches and louages, shared taxis on fixed routes; the tourist board lists no passenger train. Our getting around guide compares the options.

Where to stay

Palais Harran is the guesthouse chosen by Sabaro, in a 13th-century aristocratic mansion in the medina, a few steps from the Great Mosque. Its seven rooms surround a courtyard, under carved wooden ceilings, stained glass and zellige tiles; the oldest, the Chamber of Jamila, keeps a carved wooden canopy bed. Guests are served a Tunisian breakfast and traditional Kairouan cooking. Sabaro does not yet have a confirmed rate, so prices are given on request. Our boutique hotels page lists others.

Sbeïtla: what the foreign ministries say

The Roman and Byzantine site of Sbeïtla, ancient Sufetula, lies 109 km west of Kairouan in the governorate of Kasserine. Its capitol has three temples, to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, alongside an Arch of Diocletian and six churches, including that of Vitalis with its mosaic baptistery. Sabaro does not arrange visits there: several European foreign ministries advise against the whole of Kasserine governorate, including the town of Sbeïtla, or against its mountain areas, because of the risk of kidnapping and the military operations in the Chaambi, Selloum and Mghila mountains. Travelling against your ministry's advice can invalidate travel insurance. The "Travel advice" table on this page gives the advice for your country.

Kairouan itself is not in any area advised against by the European foreign ministries Sabaro follows. Our Tunisia safety guide sets out the situation.