Special holiday: picturesque tourist places with events and festivals of Kairouan

The city of Kairouan was founded in 670 AD by Uqba bin Nafi.This city was built mainly for a religious purpose, as it was the headquarters of Muslim armies during the conquests during the Islamic conquests in North Africa on Algeria and Morocco, hence its religious value in the Arab-Islamic society, as they consider it in the status of cities such as Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Kairouan is approximately 160 kilometres from Tunis, a two-hour drive. Despite its importance, it has only 160,000 inhabitants, which is a small population compared to the value of this tourist city.

Kairouan is not a coastal city, but a desert city, far from the capital, but it has a different character, especially for people who love to feel the past, because it has a large group of heritage places that are hundreds of years old, in addition to many important events that are held in it annually, also the people of Kairouan are distinguished by having their own customs. In addition to holding many annual festivals, whether cultural, religious or entertainment, here is a group of the most important places, events and festivals of Kairouan that can be visited.

Tourist places in the city of Kairouan

The duration of a visit to Kairouan ranges from two to two days at most, it is not a big city, but it is not small either. Kairouan is full of picturesque heritage places, and its location in the middle of the mountains makes visitors feel that they are in a completely different time. Here are the top places to visit in Kairouan.

Old Town

Many of the Kairouan festivals are held in this region, representing the center of the city of Kairouan, where ancient heritage dominates all corners of streets and houses, houses made of stones with narrow alleys, and huge wooden doors. Lovers of culture and history will find in the old city of Kairouan an unparalleled scene around the world, tourists may be deceived and think that this city is made as a studio for filming an old or heritage film, but the truth is that all the details of this city are real and alive for hundreds of years.

Kairouan Markets

The markets of Kairouan were built in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, that is, the age of this area reaches almost three hundred years. There you will find artisan shops and real ancient professions inherited from the people of these professions, such as blacksmithing and pottery making. Many tourists wander there and usually come out with valuable souvenirs from this market, whether made pottery pieces or handmade carpets.

Great Mosque of Kairouan

Sidi Okba Mosque, also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, is one of the most important mosques and Islamic monuments in the entire North African region. It is considered the most important tourist attraction in the city of Kairouan. Many tourist trips in Kairouan start from this mosque, which was built more than one thousand and three hundred years ago, where it was founded by Uqba bin Nafi, the founder of the city of Kairouan itself. The area of the mosque extends to approximately 135 meters of old stones and ancient Islamic construction, with a spacious courtyard and comfortable tranquility, Muslims and non-Muslims are allowed to visit it to the outdoor prayer square, but they are not allowed to reach inside the internal prayer hall.

Kairouan Festivals

Many festivals and holidays are held in the city of Kairouan. On the religious level, the most important of these celebrations is the celebration of the month of Ramadan, in which the Muslims of Kairouan fast until the time of the sunset call to prayer and then break their fast with authentic Tunisian food for a whole month, which is the month of Ramadan. Then comes Eid al-Fitr or the small Eid, where the Muslims of Kairouan celebrate the end of the month of Ramadan with large gatherings in Eid prayers, then people exchange congratulations and women at home cook the most beautiful dishes in celebration of the small Eid, also the same thing happens on Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Kabir, but next to these religious holidays there are many festivals and beautiful cultural events that occur in the city of Kairouan, such as:

Kairouan International Festival of Arab Music

In this festival, a large number of various concerts and music are organized by the most important Arab singers and Tunisian artists, concerts are held on a daily basis for the duration of the festival, then a number of Arab and Tunisian artists are honored.

Kairouan Short Film Festival

This festival is organized annually to honor and showcase the best talents in the short film industry from different countries of the world, as a kind of cultural support for youth and filmmaking around the world.

Kairouan Festival

This is the local festival of the city of Kairouan. An annual celebration celebrates the city and its cultural and historical heritage. This celebration features a lot of pleasant performances such as singing, dance and theatrical performances and a number of other artistic performances.

Olive Festival

This festival is unique as the olive harvest season in Kairouan is celebrated by offering a number of activities related to olives in Kairouan, such as tasting different types of olives, presentations on how to make olive oil in Kairouan and some other cooking shows.

Kairouan City Festival for Culture and Arts

This festival is held annually to promote the entire Tunisian culture, and includes a number of activities related to all types of arts such as painting, photography and theatrical acting, as well as lectures and art workshops with the best art makers in Tunisia.

Conclusion

The festivals of Kairouan are multiple, and the value of the city of Kairouan comes due to its historical presence firmly rooted in Arab and Islamic culture, in addition to that it contains many picturesque and dazzling tourist places for anyone visiting this ancient city in the heart of Tunisia.