Kairouan
Kairouan
ٱلْقَيْرَوَان | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 35°40′38″N 10°06′03″E / 35.67722°N 10.10083°E | |
Country | Tunisia |
Governorate | Kairouan Governorate |
Delegation(s) | Kairouan North, Kairouan South |
Founded | 670 CE |
Founded by | Uqba ibn Nafi |
Government | |
• Mayor | Radouane Bouden (Ennahda) |
Elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
Population (2014) | |
• Total | 187,000 |
Website | Official website |
Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, v, vi |
Reference | 499 |
Inscription | 1988 (12th Session) |
Area | 68.02 ha |
Buffer zone | 154.36 ha |
Kairouan (
Etymology
The name (ٱلْقَيْرَوَان al-Qayrawān) is an
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023) |
Foundation and early Islamic period
The foundation of Kairouan dates to about the year 670 when the
In October, 741, in the course of the
Aghlabid period
In 745,
In 800
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
Fatimid and Zirid period
Later history
In the 13th century under the prosperous
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+5⁄8 in) Sousse–Kairouan Decauville railway, which operated from 1882 to 1996, before it was regauged to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 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.
Climate
Kairouan has a
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: |
Demographics
In 2014, the city had about 187,000 inhabitants.[citation needed]
Religion
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
Before the arrival of the French in 1881, non-Muslims were forbidden from living in Kairouan.
Main sights
Great Mosque of Kairouan
The city's main landmark is the
Mosque of the Three Doors
The
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
Economy
The primary economic sectors in Kairouan are
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
Kairouan is one of the four most visited sites in
Food
Kairouan is known for its pastries (e.g.
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
- Su'da – historically attested Berber princess supposedly died there.[57]
- Najla Bouden – 17th Prime Minister of Tunisia (first female prime minister in the Arab world).[58]
Twin towns
|
Gallery
-
Trois Portes Mosque
-
Great Mosque in night
-
Remparts en flame
-
Kairouan Center-Ville
-
Souk of Kairouan
-
Tunisia Hotel
-
Piscines des Aghlabides
-
Salat of Tarawih in Great Mosque
See also
Notes
References
- ^ Nagendra Kr Singh, International encyclopaedia of Islamic dynasties. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. 2002. page 1006
- ISBN 9780521414111.
- ISBN 1-85743-132-4. "The city is regarded as a holy place for Muslims."
- ISBN 1-85986-107-5.
- ^ Alk-Khalil ibn Ahmad, Kitab al-Ayn
- ^ "القيروان". أطلس الحكمة (in Arabic). 27 April 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Location and origin of the name of Kairouan". Isesco.org. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ "قيروان" Archived 1 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine[1]. Dehkhoda Dictionary.
- ISBN 978-0-19-188291-3.
- ^ «رابطه دو سویه زبان فارسی–عربی». ماهنامه کیهان فرهنگی. دی 1383، شماره 219. صص 73–77.
- ^ Al-Nuwayri, Ahmad b. Abd al-Wahhab. Nihayat al-Arab fi funun al-`Arab, Cairo: Dar al-Kutub, p. 25.
- ^ "Cairoan", Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. II (1st ed.), Edinburgh: Colin Macfarquhar, 1771.
- ISBN 978-0-521-19697-0.
- ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
- ^ Barbara M. Kreutz, Before the Normans: Southern Italy in the Ninth and Tenth Centuries, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996, p. 48
- ISSN 0007-9731.
- ^ "Kairouan". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ABC News Online, 2023-12-17
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Données normales climatiques 1961-1990" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Les extrêmes climatiques en Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Réseau des stations météorologiques synoptiques de la Tunisie" (in French). Ministère du Transport. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Kairouan Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ^ "Climate Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Kairouan / Tunesien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ^ 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) - ^ 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."
- ISBN 978-1-85743-184-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-3373-0.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-375-50804-2.
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
- ISBN 978-1-59884-654-6.
- ISBN 978-0-8109-6433-4.
- ISBN 978-1-134-25993-9.
- ^ 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) - ISBN 978-90-04-36980-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7614-9964-0.
- ISBN 978-0-429-67384-9.
Hebron is often presented as the fourth holy city of Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem
- ISBN 978-90-04-16240-2.
Harar, which is known as being the fourth Holy city of Islam (...)
- ^ "Tunisia News – Sufi Song Festival starts in Kairouan". News.marweb.com. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ 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
- ISBN 978-1-55635-692-6.
- Jewish Encyclopedia(1906)
- ^ "The Jewish Community of Kairouan". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.[dead link]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ISBN 978-1-884964-03-9.
- ISBN 978-90-04-12756-2.
- ISBN 9783902782199.
- ^ Binous, Jamila [in French]. "Aghlabid Reservoirs". Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
- ^ "Les bassins des aghlabites". kairouan.org (in French). Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ : Industrie Kairouan
- ^ : Agriculture Kairouan
- ISBN 978-0-429-76951-1.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ Salem, Mostafa (29 September 2021). "Tunisia's president appoints woman as prime minister in first for Arab world". CNN. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "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
- Official website
- Kairouan, tourismtunisia.com
- Kairouan World heritage Site, whc.unesco.org
- Kairouan University
- Al-Qayrawan, muslimheritage.com
- Kairwan, jewishencyclopedia.com
- WorldStatesmen-Tunisia
- KAIROUAN, The Capital of Islamic Culture
- Panoramic virtual tour of Kairouan medina