Kairouan^a
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Tunisia
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, v, vi
Identification	#499
Regionb	Arab States
Inscription History UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x1536, 338 KB) Description Kairouan, mosquée Okba et cimetière au premier plan Author : fr:utilisateur:Douya Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: History of Tunisia Kairouan ... As of 2006, there are a total of 830 World Heritage Sites located in 138 State Parties. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Tunisia. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Arab world. ...
Formal Inscription:	1988 12th Session
a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List b As classified officially by UNESCO A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Kairouan (Arabic القيروان) (also known as Kairwan, Kayrawan, Al Qayrawan) is a muslim holy city which ranks after Mecca and Medina as a place of pilgrimage. ^[1] Located in Tunisia, about 160 kilometres south of Tunis, it is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate. It was founded by the Arabs in around 670 and the original name was derived from Arabic kairuwân, from Persian Kâravân, meaning "camp", "caravan", or "resting place" (see caravanserai)^{[citation needed]}. In 2003 the city had about 150,000 inhabitants. Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... This is not an article about the Muslims and their beliefs. ... Kairouan Governorate The Kairouan Governorate (Arabic: ‎) is one of the twenty-four Governorates (provinces) of Tunisia. ... The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are an ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Events On the death of his brother Clotaire, Childeric II becomes king of all of the Frankish kingdoms -- Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Persian (Local names: فارسی Fârsi or پارسی Pârsi)* is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan as well as by minorities in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, India, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Southern Russia, neighboring countries, and elsewhere. ... A caravanserai (also spelt caravansarai, caravansary Persian كاروانسرا, Turkish: kervansaray), means home or shelter for caravans (caravan meaning a group or convoy of soldiers, traders or pilgrims engaged in long distance travel). ...

History

Kairouan was founded in about the year 670 when the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi selected a site in the middle of a dense forest, then infested with wild beasts and reptiles, as the location of a military post. It was to keep in check the Berber hordes and was located far from the sea where it was safe from attack. A city soon developed, with luxuriant gardens and olive groves. Ibn Nafi was killed in battle by the Berbers about fifteen years after the military post was established. Events On the death of his brother Clotaire, Childeric II becomes king of all of the Frankish kingdoms -- Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy. ... Languages Arabic other languages (Arab minorities) Religions Predominantly Islam Some adherents of Druze, Judaism, Samaritan, Christianity Related ethnic groups Jews, Canaanites, other Semitic-speaking groups An Arab (Arabic: ); is a member of a Semitic group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to the... Uqba ibn Nafi (Arabic: ‎ translit: ) (also referred to as Uqba bin Nafe, Uqba Ibn al Nafia, or Akbah) (622–683) was an Arab general under the Umayyad dynasty, who began the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb, including present-day western Algeria and Morocco in North Africa. ... The Amazighs (also called Berber people or Imazighen (ⵉⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⴻⵏ), free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group autochthonous to Northwest Africa and speak various Berber languages. ...

City's seal

The city was soon recaptured and remained for four centuries a major holy city, the "Mecca of North Africa". In the tenth century, the city was embellished by the Aghlabites who ruled Ifriqiya from there between 800 and 909. It was the capital in the eleventh century, and was famous for its wealth and prosperity. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Aghlabid dynasty of emirs ruled Ifriqiya (northern Africa), nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a century, until overthrown by the new power of the Fatimids. ... In medieval history, Ifriqiya or Ifriqiyah (Arabic: إفريقية) was the area comprising the coastal regions of what are today western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria. ...

About the middle of the eleventh century, the Ismaili Shiite Fatimites of Egypt instigated the Egyptian Bedouins to invade this part of Africa. These invaders so utterly destroyed the city in 1057 that it never regained its former importance. Then Mahdia became the capital under the Fatimites. Under the Ottomans, who called it Kairuan in Turkish (as in modern German), and included mention of the city in the full style of the Great Sultan (alongside broader Barbary and the new vilayet), Tunis became the capital (as seat of the Dey, next the soon ever more autonomous (Basha) Bey), and remains so in modern Tunisia. In 1881, Kairouan was taken by the French, after which non-Muslims were allowed access to the city. The IsmāʿīlÄ« (Urdu: اسماعیلی IsmāʿīlÄ«, Arabic: الإسماعيليون al-IsmāʿīliyyÅ«n; Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmāʿīliyān) branch of Islam is the second largest part of the ShÄ«a community, after the Twelvers (Ithnāʿashariyya). ... The Fatimid or Fatimid Caliphate is the Ismaili Shiite dynasty that ruled North Africa from A.D. 909 to 1171. ... A Bedouin man resting on a hillside at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic ( ‎), a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic pastoralist groups, who are found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via... Events King Macbeth I of Scotland is killed in battle against Malcolm Canmore. ... Skifa Kahla, ancient gate to the city Marine cemetery in Mahdia Mahdia, Arabic: المهدية (al-Mahdiya), is a Tunisian coastal city with 37,000 inhabitants, south of Monastir and southeast of Sousse. ... The Fatimid or Fatimid Caliphate is the Ismaili Shiite dynasty that ruled North Africa from A.D. 909 to 1171. ... The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power Imperial motto El Muzaffer Daima The Ever Victorious (as written in tugra) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital İstanbul ( Constantinople/Asitane/Konstantiniyye ) Sovereigns Sultans of the Osmanli Dynasty Population ca 40 million Area 12+ million km² Establishment 1299 Dissolution October 29... The American Captain William Bainbridge paying tribute to the Dey, circa 1800. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Religion

There are very many mosques in the city, among which the great mosque. For a long time, non-muslims were not allowed to enter the city, in more recent times this is allowed. Pilgrimages are made to this holy city. An article titled “Towards A Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations” ^[2] by Professor Kwesi Prah ^[3] states “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". ^[4] The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Events On the death of his brother Clotaire, Childeric II becomes king of all of the Frankish kingdoms -- Austrasia, Neustria and Burgundy. ... Events The abbey of Abingdon, England is founded Aldhelm made abbot Aethelred succeeds his brother Wulfhere as king of Mercia Births Deaths Wulfhere, king of Japan - Temmu Emperor of Japan (672-686) Categories: 675 ...

Judaism, no longer prevalent in the city, has an illustrious history in Kairouan, particularly in the early Middle Ages. Rabbeinu Hananel was from Kairouan and many other important and famous rabbis, including the RIF, (Rabbi Isaac Alfasi) studied there with him. Chananel Ben Chushiel (or Rabbeinu Chananel), 990-1053) was a rabbi and one of the last Geonim. ... Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013 - 1103) - also Isaac Hakohen, Alfasi or the Rif (ריף) - was a Talmudist and posek (decisor in matters of halakha - Jewish law). ...

Sights

The souk (market place) of Kairouan is very famous, it is in the medina, which is surrounded by walls, and of which the entrance gates can be seen from far. Products that are sold here are carpets, vases and goods made of leather. As with merchants in most major Tunisian cities, Kairouan merchants rely on tourism for much of their income. The city's other main site is the Great Mosque, which is said to largely consist of its original building materials. In fact most of the column stems and capitals were taken from ruins of earlier-period buildings, while others were produced locally. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (8253x1533, 1542 KB) author Maciej SzczepaÅ„czyk -user Mathiasrex File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kairouan Talk:Islamic architecture ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (8253x1533, 1542 KB) author Maciej SzczepaÅ„czyk -user Mathiasrex File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kairouan Talk:Islamic architecture ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 504 KB) Kairouan-scene-de-rue Author : fr:utilisateur:Douya File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kairouan ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1536x1024, 504 KB) Kairouan-scene-de-rue Author : fr:utilisateur:Douya File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Kairouan ... The souq in Marrakech, Morocco A souk (سوق, also sook, souq, or suq) is a commercial quarter in an Arab city. ... A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. ...

Miscellaneous

Amongst Tunisians, Kairouan is famous for its pastries (e.g., zlebia and makroudh).

In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the street scenes in "Cairo" were filmed in Kairouan. Raiders of the Lost Ark, also known as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, is a 1981, Academy Award-winning adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. ... Nickname: Egypt: Site of Cairo (top center) Coordinates: Government  - Governor Dr. Abdul Azim Wazir Area  - City 214 km²  (82. ...

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 532 pixelsFull resolution (3008 × 2000 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 2. ...

Footnotes

This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Kairouan

• Kairouan, tourismtunisia.com
• Kairouan World heritage Site, whc.unesco.org
• Kairouan University
• Kairouan travel guide
• Kairwan, jewishencyclopedia.com
• WorldStatesmen-Tunisia

World Heritage Sites in Tunisia

Amphitheatre of El Djem | Dougga/Thugga | Ichkeul | Kairouan | Kerkuane and its Necropolis | Medina of Sousse | Medina of Tunis | Site of Carthage Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Tunisia. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... El Djem: the amphitheatre of Thysdrus El Djem (Latin Thysdrus) is a town in Mahdia governorate, Tunisia, population 18,302 (2004 census). ... Dougga Dougga or Thugga is a Roman ruin in northern Tunisia located on a 65 hectare site. ... Ichkeul Lake (Arabic: بحيرة اشكل) is a lake in northern Tunisia near the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Kerkouane is a Punic city in northeastern Tunisia, near Cape Bon. ... View from the Abou Nawas Hotel over to the main beach in Sousse (Bou Jaafar) The Grand Mosque of Sousse, Tunisia, as seen from the tower of the Ribat The Ribat of Sousse Sousse (Arabic سوسة Susa), is a city of Tunisia. ... Tunis, capital of Tunisia. ... Carthage (Greek: , from the Phoenician Kart-hadasht meaning new town, Arabic: ‎, Latin: ) refers both to an ancient city in North Africa located in modern day Tunis and to the civilization that developed within the citys sphere of influence. ...

Coordinates: 35°40′N, 10°06′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...