Kairouan

Coordinates: 35°40′38″N 10°06′03″E / 35.67722°N 10.10083°E / 35.67722; 10.10083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kairouan
ٱلْقَيْرَوَان
Top (from left to right): Monument to Kairouan carpets, Great Mosque of Kairouan Second row: Historic city walls, Aghlabid Basins Third row: Zawiya of Sidi Abid al-Ghariani, Makroudh Bottom: Kairouan carpets, Bazaar, Medina quarter
Top (from left to right): Monument to Kairouan carpets, Great Mosque of Kairouan
Second row: Historic city walls, Aghlabid Basins
Third row: Zawiya of Sidi Abid al-Ghariani, Makroudh
Bottom: Kairouan carpets, Bazaar, Medina quarter
Kairouan is located in Tunisia
Kairouan
Kairouan
Location in Tunisia
Kairouan is located in Mediterranean
Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan (Mediterranean)
Kairouan is located in Africa
Kairouan
Kairouan
Kairouan (Africa)
Coordinates: 35°40′38″N 10°06′03″E / 35.67722°N 10.10083°E / 35.67722; 10.10083
Country Tunisia
GovernorateKairouan Governorate
Delegation(s)Kairouan North, Kairouan South
Founded670 CE
Founded byUqba ibn Nafi
Government
 • MayorRadouane Bouden (Ennahda)
Elevation
68 m (223 ft)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total187,000
WebsiteOfficial website
CriteriaCultural: i, ii, iii, v, vi
Reference499
Inscription1988 (12th Session)
Area68.02 ha
Buffer zone154.36 ha

Kairouan (

Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city.[3][4]

Etymology

The name (ٱلْقَيْرَوَان al-Qayrawān) is an

Berber, the city used to be called تيكيروان Tikirwan,[12] thought to be an adaptation of the Arabic name. It has also been romanized as Cairoan in early modern English.[13]

History

Foundation and early Islamic period

The foundation of Kairouan dates to about the year 670 when the

Berbers to Islam. Kharijites or Islamic "outsiders" who formed an egalitarian and puritanical sect appeared and are still present on the island of Djerba
.

In October, 741, in the course of the

Barqa (Cyrenaica) and Tripoli (Tripolitana). He arrived in Kairouan around April, 742. The qadi of Ifriqiya, Abd al-Rahman ibn Oqba al-Ghaffari, had been managing the defense of Kairouan, and succeeded in fending off an attack by the Berber rebel army raised in southern Tunisia by the Sufrite leader Oqasha ibn Ayub al-Fezari. Handhala ibn Safwan arrived in Kairouan just as Oqasha was said to be mounting a new attack, in coordination with another large Berber army coming in from the west, led by Abd al-Wahid ibn Yazid al-Hawwari. The Berber rebel armies were to make junction in front of Kairouan, before launching their final attack on the city. Wasting no time, Handhala dispatched a cavalry force to slow down Abd al-Wahid's progress, and threw the bulk of his forces south, defeating Oqasha in a bloody battle at El-Qarn and taking him prisoner. But Handhala had taken a lot of losses himself, and now faced the unhappy prospect of Abd al-Wahid's gigantic army, said to be some 300,000, ostensibly the largest Berber army ever seen. Hurrying back, Handhala is said to have put the entire population of Kairouan under arms to bolster his ranks, before setting out again. In perhaps the bloodiest encounter in the Berber wars, Handhala ibn Safwan defeated the great Berber army of Abd al-Wahid ibn Yazid at al-Asnam in May 742 (perhaps a little later), just three miles outside of Kairouan. Some 120,000–180,000 Berbers, including Abd al-Wahid, fell in the field of battle in that single encounter.[15]

Aghlabid period

In 745,

Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab
recaptured Kairouan at the end of the 8th century.

In 800

Aghlabid dynasty which ruled Ifriqiya between 800 and 909. The new emirs embellished Kairouan and made it their capital. It soon became famous for its wealth and prosperity, reaching the levels of Basra and Kufa and giving Tunisia a period of power and prosperity.

The Aghlabid Basins

The Aghlabids built the great mosque and established in it a university that was a centre of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the

Islamic World. In that period Imam Sahnun and Asad ibn al-Furat made of Kairouan a temple of knowledge and a magnificent centre of diffusion of Islamic sciences. The Aghlabids also built palaces, fortifications and fine waterworks of which only the pools remain. From Kairouan envoys from Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire returned with glowing reports of the Aghlabid palaces, libraries and gardens – and from the crippling taxation imposed to pay for their drunkenness and sundry debaucheries. The Aghlabids also pacified the country and conquered Sicily in 827.[16]

Fatimid and Zirid period

Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah sent as punishment hordes of troublesome Arab tribes (Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym) to invade Ifriqiya. These invaders so utterly captured Kairouan from the Zirids in 1057[17]
and destroyed it that it never regained its former importance and their influx was a major factor in the spread of nomadism in areas where agriculture had previously been dominant. Some 1,700 years of intermittent but continual progress was undone within a decade as in most part of the country the land was laid to waste for nearly two centuries.

Later history

Bab Chouhada Street in 1899

In the 13th century under the prosperous

Husainid Dynasty
that Kairouan started to find an honorable place in the country and throughout the Islamic world.

In 1881, Kairouan was taken by the French, after which non-Muslims were allowed access to the city. The French built the 600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) Sousse–Kairouan Decauville railway, which operated from 1882 to 1996, before it was regauged to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in) gauge.[citation needed]

The old city of Kairouan and its associated historic monuments became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.[18]

In December 2023, about 30m of wall near the Gate of the Leather Workers collapsed during restoration. Three masons were killed, and several others injured.[19]

Geography

Location

Kairouan, the capital of Kairouan Governorate, lies south of Sousse, 50 km (31 mi) from the east coast, 75 km (47 mi) from Monastir and 184 km (114 mi) from Tunis.

Paranoma of the old city of Kairouan

Climate

Kairouan has a

hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
BSh).

Climate data for Kairouan (1991-2020, extremes 1901-2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30.0
(86.0)
37.3
(99.1)
39.2
(102.6)
37.8
(100.0)
44.6
(112.3)
48.0
(118.4)
47.9
(118.2)
50.3
(122.5)
45.0
(113.0)
41.3
(106.3)
36.0
(96.8)
30.9
(87.6)
50.3
(122.5)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 17.8
(64.0)
18.6
(65.5)
21.7
(71.1)
24.9
(76.8)
29.7
(85.5)
34.7
(94.5)
38.1
(100.6)
37.9
(100.2)
32.6
(90.7)
28.2
(82.8)
22.8
(73.0)
18.8
(65.8)
27.1
(80.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 12.6
(54.7)
13.2
(55.8)
15.8
(60.4)
18.6
(65.5)
22.9
(73.2)
27.4
(81.3)
30.5
(86.9)
30.7
(87.3)
26.8
(80.2)
22.7
(72.9)
17.5
(63.5)
13.8
(56.8)
21.0
(69.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 7.4
(45.3)
7.8
(46.0)
9.9
(49.8)
12.4
(54.3)
16.0
(60.8)
20.0
(68.0)
22.9
(73.2)
23.5
(74.3)
21.0
(69.8)
17.3
(63.1)
12.2
(54.0)
8.8
(47.8)
14.9
(58.8)
Record low °C (°F) −4.5
(23.9)
−3.0
(26.6)
−3.0
(26.6)
0.0
(32.0)
4.0
(39.2)
6.5
(43.7)
8.0
(46.4)
12.0
(53.6)
9.0
(48.2)
5.5
(41.9)
−3.0
(26.6)
−3.5
(25.7)
−4.5
(23.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 24.4
(0.96)
19.9
(0.78)
32.6
(1.28)
27.0
(1.06)
24.6
(0.97)
12.2
(0.48)
5.0
(0.20)
16.4
(0.65)
56.1
(2.21)
41.0
(1.61)
25.4
(1.00)
27.5
(1.08)
312.1
(12.29)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 3.4 3.4 4.4 4.3 3.4 1.9 0.6 2.2 5.0 3.7 3.1 3.8 38.8
Average
relative humidity
(%)
64 62 62 61 58 53 49 53 59 65 65 65 60
Mean monthly sunshine hours 186.0 190.4 226.3 252.0 300.7 324.0 362.7 334.8 270.0 235.6 207.0 186.0 3,075.5
Mean daily sunshine hours 6.0 6.8 7.3 8.4 9.7 10.8 11.7 10.8 9.0 7.6 6.9 6.0 8.4
Source 1: Institut National de la Météorologie (humidity/sun 1961–1990, extremes 1951–2017)[20][21][22][note 1]
Source 2:
NOAA (humidity and sun 1961–1990),[24][25] Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, 1901–1990)[26]

Demographics

In 2014, the city had about 187,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]

Religion

Great Mosque of Kairouan
also known as the Mosque of Uqba (Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba)

Between the 9th and 11th centuries AD, Kairouan functioned as one of the great centers of Islamic civilization and gained a reputation as a hotbed of scholarship across the entire Maghreb. During this period, the

Sufi festivals are held in the city in memory of saints.[40]

Before the arrival of the French in 1881, non-Muslims were forbidden from living in Kairouan.

Halakhic scholarship for at least three generations.[43] The Banu Hilal conquest of Kairouan in 1057 led to the decline of the medieval community with Jews only returning after Tunisia was established as a French protectorate in 1881. By the 1960s the community had disappeared,[44]
and all that remains is their dilapidated cemetery.

Main sights

Great Mosque of Kairouan

The city's main landmark is the

Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba (also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan) which is one of the most impressive and largest Islamic monuments in North Africa. Originally built when Kairouan was founded in 670 AD, the mosque currently occupies an area of over 9,000 square metres (97,000 sq ft) and is one of the oldest places of worship in the Islamic world
. The mosque became a center of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences and helped the city to develop and expand.

Paranoma of Great Mosque of Kairouan

Mosque of the Three Doors

The

Hafsid dynasty. The prayer hall has a nave and two aisles, divided by arched columns, parallel to the qibla
wall.

Mosque of the Barber

The Zawiya of Sidi Sahib, also known as the Mosque of the Barber, is a religious complex containing the mausoleum of Abu Zama' al-Balawi, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who, according to legend, had saved for himself three hairs of Muhammad's beard, hence the edifice's name.[47] The complex was first built up in the 14th century under the Hafsids, but in its present state it dates from the 17th century, under the Muradids.[48] The tomb chamber is accessed from a cloister-like court with rich tile and stucco decoration. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex includes a madrasa and several other facilities.[49]

Aghlabid basins

The

Aghlabid basins are a Tunisian historical monument located in Kairouan. Dating from the 9th century and located outside the ramparts of the medina of Kairouan, they are considered to be the most important hydraulic systems in the history of the Muslim world.[50] The structure covers an area of 11,000 square meters and consists of a small settling basin, a large basin for storing water and two drawing tanks, all having a total storage capacity of 68,800 cubic meters.[51]

Economy

The primary economic sectors in Kairouan are

industry, agriculture and tourism
.

Industry

The Kairouan region currently has 167 industrial companies offering more than 10,000 jobs, of which 33 are fully exporters. The industrial activities of the region are quite diversified, although the agrifood industry sector is preeminent with 91 units.[52]

Agriculture

The governorate of Kairouan is known mainly for the production of vegetables (peppers, tomatoes) and fruits (apricots, almonds and olives). It is the leading national producer of chili peppers with nearly 90,000 tonnes in 2019, as well as apricots with more than 15,000 tonnes.[53]

Tourism

Kasba Hotel

Kairouan is one of the four most visited sites in

El Jem and Le Bardo as historic sites. Tourist activity is focused on the historic sites and monuments of the city of Kairouan.[54]

Food

traditional fast food maker in kairouan

Kairouan is known for its pastries (e.g.

zlebia and makroudh
).

In popular culture

Kairouan was used as a filming location for the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, standing in for Cairo.[55] As the film is set in 1936, television antennas throughout the city were taken down for the duration of filming.[56]

Notable people

Twin towns

  • Fès
    , Morocco, since 22 October 1965
  • Algeria Tlemcen, Algeria, since 28 May 1969
  • Spain Córdoba, Spain, since 10 June 1969
  • Egypt Cairo, Egypt, since 14 March 1976
  • Uzbekistan Samarkand, Uzbekistan, since 5 October 1977
  • Mali Timbuktu, Mali, since 2 June 1986
  • Bursa, Turkey, since 26 December 1987[59]
  • Iran Nishapur, Iran, since 26 December 1987

Gallery

  • Trois Portes Mosque
    Trois Portes Mosque
  • Great Mosque in night
    Great Mosque in night
  • Remparts en flame
    Remparts en flame
  • Kairouan Center-Ville
    Kairouan Center-Ville
  • Souk of Kairouan
    Souk of Kairouan
  • Tunisia Hotel
    Tunisia Hotel
  • Piscines des Aghlabides
    Piscines des Aghlabides
  • Salat of Tarawih in Great Mosque
    Salat of Tarawih in Great Mosque

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Station ID for Kairouan is 33535111.[23]
  2. ^ Various other cities across the world are also claimed to be the fourth holiest city in Islam, including Damascus,[36][37] Hebron,[38] Bukhara,[37] and Harar.[39]

References

  1. ^ Nagendra Kr Singh, International encyclopaedia of Islamic dynasties. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. 2002. page 1006
  2. .
  3. . "The city is regarded as a holy place for Muslims."
  4. .
  5. ^ Alk-Khalil ibn Ahmad, Kitab al-Ayn
  6. ^ "القيروان". أطلس الحكمة (in Arabic). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  7. ^ MacKenzie, D. N. (1971), "kārawān", in A concise Pahlavi dictionary Archived 3 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine, London, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ "Location and origin of the name of Kairouan". Isesco.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  9. ^ "قيروان" Archived 1 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine[1]. Dehkhoda Dictionary.
  10. .
  11. ^ «رابطه دو سویه زبان فارسی–عربی». ماهنامه کیهان فرهنگی. دی 1383، شماره 219. صص 73–77.
  12. ^ Al-Nuwayri, Ahmad b. Abd al-Wahhab. Nihayat al-Arab fi funun al-`Arab, Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, p. 25.
  13. ^ "Cairoan", Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. II (1st ed.), Edinburgh: Colin Macfarquhar, 1771.
  14. .
  15. .
  16. ^ Barbara M. Kreutz, Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996, p. 48
  17. ISSN 0007-9731
    .
  18. ^ "Kairouan". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  19. ABC News Online
    , 2023-12-17
  20. ^ "Les normales climatiques en Tunisie entre 1981 2010" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  21. ^ "Données normales climatiques 1961-1990" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Les extrêmes climatiques en Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Réseau des stations météorologiques synoptiques de la Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Kairouan Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  25. ^ "Climate Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Klimatafel von Kairouan / Tunesien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  27. ^ Saladin, Henri [in French] (1908). Tunis et Kairouan (in French) (Henri Laurens ed.). Paris. p. 118. One may conceivably compare its role to that of the University of Paris during the Middle Ages.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  28. ^ Largueche, Dalenda (2010). "Monogamy in Islam: The Case of a Tunisian Marriage Contract" (PDF). Occasional Paper of the IAS School of Social Science. This stipulation gave a woman legal recourse in the case that her husband sought to take a second wife. Although the introduction of the 1956 Code of Personal Status rendered the tradition obsolete by outlawing polygamy nationwide, some scholars have identified it as a "positive tradition for women within the large framework of Islamic law."
  29. .
  30. .
  31. ^ . With eighty nine mosques it is the fourth holiest city in Sunni Islam, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem . A tradition holds that seven pilgrimages to Kairouan exempt the faithful from having to journey to Mecca
  32. .
  33. .
  34. .
  35. ^ Prah, Kwesi (11–12 May 2004), Towards a Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations, AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, archived from the original on 28 September 2007, By 670, the Arabs had taken Tunisia, and by 675, they had completed construction of Kairouan, the city that would become the premier Arab base in North Africa. Kairouan was later to become the third holiest city in Islam in the medieval period, after Mecca and Medina, because of its importance as the centre of the Islamic faith in the Maghrib.{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  36. .
  37. ^ .
  38. . Hebron is often presented as the fourth holy city of Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem
  39. . Harar, which is known as being the fourth Holy city of Islam (...)
  40. ^ "Tunisia News – Sufi Song Festival starts in Kairouan". News.marweb.com. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
  41. ^ Zwemer, Samuel Marinus (1966). The Muslim World: A Quarterly Review of History, Culture, Religions & the Christian Mission in Islamdom. Hartford Seminary Foundation. p. 390. It then became and long remained a seat of Moslem rule, and during centuries, right up to the French occupation in 1881, no Christian or Jew was allowed to dwell in it
  42. .
  43. Jewish Encyclopedia
    (1906)
  44. ^ "The Jewish Community of Kairouan". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.[dead link]
  45. ^ Saladin, Henri [in French] (1908). Tunis et Kairouan. Voyages à travers l'architecture, l'artisanat et les mœurs du début du XXe siècle. Paris: Henri Laurens.
  46. ^ Kircher, Gisela (1970). Die Moschee des Muhammad b. Hairun (Drei-Tore-Moschee) in Qairawân/Tunesien. Vol. 26. Cairo: Publications de l'Institut archéologique allemand. pp. 141–167.
  47. .
  48. .
  49. .
  50. ^ Binous, Jamila [in French]. "Aghlabid Reservoirs". Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  51. ^ "Les bassins des aghlabites". kairouan.org (in French). Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  52. ^ : Industrie Kairouan
  53. ^ : Agriculture Kairouan
  54. .
  55. ^ Long, Christian (12 June 2016). "Visit These 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Travel Locations This Summer". Uproxx. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  56. ^ Mikulec, Sven (22 October 2016). "'Raiders of the Lost Ark': Lucas and Spielberg's Epitome of Action-Adventure Films Still Waiting to Be Surpassed". Cinephelia & Beyond. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  57. . Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  58. ^ Salem, Mostafa (29 September 2021). "Tunisia's president appoints woman as prime minister in first for Arab world". CNN. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  59. ^ "Kardeş Şehirler". Bursa Büyükşehir Belediyesi Basın Koordinasyon Merkez. Tüm Hakları Saklıdır. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2013.

External links