Kairouan, holy city and enchanted streets

Kairouan is set among olive groves, in a landscape resembling Andalucia. Known as the "city of 50 mosques", Kairouan is the fourth holy place of Islam. Kairouan is also the oldest Muslim city of North Africa. It was founded in 670 at a strategic crossroads: between the Eastern coast and the mountains of the West; between the Byzantine cities of the North and the Berber people of the desert. Its name comes from the caravans, which have always gone through it (Qayrawan in Arabic).

If you visit Kairouan in the morning, you may admire the inside of the Great Mosque, or Sidi Oqba mosque. It is an admirable instance of primitive mosques. The courtyard (sahn) is surrounded on three of its sides by colonnades. On the side of the prayer hall (Beit es Salat), there are two rows of arcades. The 400 columns of the prayer hall, made out of pink and black marble, have been taken from Roman and Byzantine structures in Carthage. Pieces of earthenware and marble offer colourful treasures undreamed of from the outside. From there, the Great Mosque looks like a stern fortress, dominated by its 35 meter high minaret.

A stroll in the medina at dawn or during the sunset will provide one of the most beautiful memory of your stay in Tunisia. Portray yourself as Paul Klee's disciple: going into raptures over the colours of the south, the painter drew his inspiration from Tunisia, in his quest for a mythical Orient. In front of Kairouan's gates he declared himself caught by colour: "I don't need to pursue. It holds me forever. I know it. Here is the meaning of this merry time: colour and I are one. I am a painter."

If you don't feel inspired by paintings, you can still recharge your batteries in the suuq with tea and the delicious pastries of Kairouan. Look for "makrouds", a small diamond-shaped and honey-covered pastry, stuffed with dates. Don't forget that Kairouan also shelters work wonders outside of the medina, like the barber's mausoleum ( the zawiyya of Sidi Sahab al Baloui), one of Muhammad's companions, close to the Aghlabid pools.