Difference between revisions of "Kairouan" - New World Encyclopedia

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| Image      = [[Image:Kairouan-mosquee-cimetiere.jpg|300px|Mosque of Oqba]]
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'''Kairouan''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]] القيروان) (also known as '''Kirwan''', '''Al Qayrawan''') is a [[Muslim]] holy city which ranks after [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] as a place of pilgrimage,<ref>{{cite book
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'''Kairouan''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]] القيروان) (also known as '''Kirwan''', and '''Al Qayrawan''') is the capital of the [[Kairouan Governorate]] in the nation of [[Tunisia]], about 160 kilometers (100 mi) south of the capital city of [[Tunis]].
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  | title = Hutchinson Encyclopedia 1996 Edition
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  | publisher = Helicon Publishing Ltd, [[Oxford]]
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Kairouan was founded in 670 C.E., when the [[Arab]] [[Umayyad]] general [[Uqba ibn Nafi]] selected the location as a base for military operations. The Mosque of Uqba, also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was built when the city was founded. The [[mosque]] covers a surface area of {{convert|9000|m2}}. It served as a model for all later mosques in the [[Maghreb]] of the western [[Islamic world]].
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  | date = 1996
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  | pages = pg.572
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Under the [[Aghlabid]]s, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan aided the [[city]]'s development. By the ninth century C.E. the city had become a center of Islamic thought, due both to its mosque and the [[university]], which was a center of [[education]] both in [[Islam]]ic thought and in the secular [[science]]s. Despite the transfer of the political capital to [[Tunis]] in the twelfth century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb's principal holy city.
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{{toc}}
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  | isbn = 1-85986-107-5}}</ref> particularly for [[sufi]]s.{{Fact|date=November 2008}} 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 language|Persian]] ''Kâravân''{{Fact|date=June 2007}}, meaning "camp", "caravan", or "resting place" (see [[caravanserai]]) {{Fact|date=March 2007}}. In 2003 the city had about 150,000 inhabitants.
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Declared a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] in 1988, [[tourism]], the establishment of a university there in 2004, and the establishment of light industry, helped revive the city's economy. In 2003 the city had 150,000 inhabitants.
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==Geography==
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The original name of the city was derived from the [[Arabic]] word ''kairuwân,'' meaning "camp," "caravan," or "resting place."  
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Kairouan is located on the Low Steppes area of [[Tunisia]], a semi-arid alluvial plain southeast of the Central Tell, about 100 miles (160km) south of [[Tunis]], at an elevation of 223 feet (68 meters).  
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Kairouan has a semi-arid Mediterranean [[climate]], with hot [[summer]]s and mild [[winter]]s, when there is more [[rain]]fall. Spring and autumn are pleasant. The average maximum daytime [[temperature]] in January is 63.5°F (17.5°C), rising to an average maximum of around 99.5°F (37.5°C) in July. Mean annual precipitation is 12.1 inches (309mm).
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Environmental issues include health risks posed by ineffective toxic and [[hazardous waste]] disposal, [[water pollution]] from raw [[sewage]], and limited natural fresh water.
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To protect Kairouan city against flooding from Wadi Merguellil, the El Haouareb [[dam]] was constructed in 1989.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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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 base|military post]] for the conquest of the West. It was located far from the sea where it was safe from continued attacks of the [[Berber people|Berber]]s who have fiercely resisted the Arab invasion. Berber resistance continued, led first by [[Kusaila]] whose troops killed Uqba at [[Biskra]] about fifteen years after the military post was established, and then by a Berber woman called [[Al-Kahina]] who was killed and her army defeated in [[702]]. Subsequently, there was a mass conversion of the [[Berbers]] to Islam, but they were for all that treated as second-class citizens in their native land. This consequent dissatisfaction led to their secession as [[Kharijites]] or Islamic ‘outsiders’ which formed an egalitarian and puritanical sect still present on the island of [[Jerba]]. In 745 [[Kharijite]] [[Berbers]] captured Kairouan, which was already at that time a developed city with luxuriant gardens and olive groves.  
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[[Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_02.jpg|thumb|right|235px|This tiered minaret is a remnant of a golden age.]]
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[[Image:Mosque in the main street - Kairouan - Tunisia - 1895.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Mosque on Kairouan's main street, 1895.]]
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[[Image:Kairouan-scene-de-rue.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Kairouan street scene.]]
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[[Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_01.jpg|thumb|right|235px|Ancient sun-baked buildings.]]
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[[Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_03.jpg|thumb|235px|Fortifications against past foes.]]
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Evidence of human habitation in [[North Africa]]n regions stretches back one or two million years. [[Berber]]s (anciently more often known as [[Libyans]] occupied the region since about 8000 years ago). [[Phoenicia]]ns settled the coast around 1000 B.C.E., and the city of [[Carthage]], near present-day [[Tunis]], was founded in the ninth century B.C.E. by settlers from [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]].
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Kairouan was founded in 670 C.E., when the [[Arab]] [[Umayyad]] general [[Uqba ibn Nafi]] (622–683) selected a site in the middle of a dense [[forest]], then full of wild beasts and [[reptile]]s, as a base for military operations, and far enough from the [[sea]] that it was safe from continued attacks of the [[Berber]]s who had fiercely resisted the Arab invasion. Karouan became an essential element of the Islamic conquest of [[Ifriqiya]], the area comprising the coastal regions of what became western [[Libya]], [[Tunisia]], and eastern [[Algeria]],
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Berbers captured Kairouan in 688, and again in 745, by which time it was a developed city with luxuriant gardens and [[olive]] groves.
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Power struggles continued until [[Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab]] (756-812) recaptured Kairouan at the end of the eighth century. In 800, Ibrahim was confirmed [[Emir]] and hereditary ruler of [[Ifriqiya]], by the [[Caliph]] in [[Baghdad]]. [[Aghlab]]'s dynasty ruled Ifriqiya between 800 and 909. Kairouan prospered, with wealth comparable to that of [[Basra]] and [[Kufa]], giving Tunisia one of its golden ages.
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[[Aghlabite]] Emir Ziyadat Allah I rebuilt the great [[mosque]] in 836, and Emir Abou Ibrahim Ahmed added to it in 862-863.
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Within the mosque was a university that became a center of Islamic thought and secular sciences, attracting scholars from all over the [[Islamic World]], including [[Imam]] [[Sahnun]] (776–854), and [[Asad ibn al-Furat]] (759-828). The [[Aghlabite]]s built palaces, fortifications, and fine waterworks, and conquered [[Sicily]] in 827.
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The Aghlabid emirs enjoyed personal and political excesses, made possible by the lucrative slave trade, prompting the emergence of the [[Maliki]] school, which is one of the four schools of ''Fiqh'' (religious law or jurisprudence) within [[Sunni]] Islam.
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In 893, [[Kutama]] Berbers from the west of the country started the [[Shiite]] [[Fatimid]] movement. Fatimid Obaid Allah in 909 overthrew the [[Sunni]] [[Aghlabite]]s, creating the Shiite Fatimid dynasty. Kairouan was neglected as Obaid Allah, who ruled from 910-934, resided first in Raqqada but soon moved his capital to [[Al Mahdiyah]], founded in 916, on the coast of modern Tunisia.
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The [[Fatimid]]s extended their rule over all of central [[Maghreb]], an area including modern  [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]] and [[Libya]], and moved west to [[Egypt]] to found [[Cairo]], making it the capital of their vast [[Califate]], and leaving the [[Zirids]], a Kutama Berber dynasty, as their vassals in [[Ifriqiya]].
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Governing again from Kairouan, the governing Fatimids, the Berber [[Zirid]] dynasty, led the country through another artistic, commercial and agricultural heyday. [[School]]s and universities flourished, overseas [[trade]] in local manufactures and farm produce ran high, and Zirid courts were centers of refinement eclipsing those of their [[Europe]]an contemporaries.
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In 947-948, the third caliph, [[Al-Mansour]], founded the new city of Sabra Al-Monsouria 1.5km south of Kairouan. However, the Fatimid caliphate transferred to Cairo in 972.
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But the [[Zirids]] converted to [[Sunni]] Islam in 1045, declared their independence from [[Cairo]], and gave their allegiance to [[Baghdad]]. The Fatimid Caliph [[Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah]] (1029–1094) sent hordes of Arab tribes ([[Banu Hilal]] and [[Banu Sulaym]]) to invade Ifriqiya.
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In 1057, Kairouan was invaded and sacked. Kairouan declined into an isolated market town for [[nomad]]s, although it retained its status as the holy city of the [[Maghreb]].
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In 1159, Tunisia was conquered by the [[Almohad]]s, caliphs of [[Morocco]] (1130–1269), who sought to purify [[Islam]]ic doctrines. From 1160, [[Tunis]] became the capital.
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The [[Almohad Dynasty]] was succeeded by the [[Hafsids Dynasty]] (c.1230&#8211;1574), under whom Tunisia prospered. In the last years of the Hafsids, [[Spain]] seized many of the coastal cities, but these were recovered for Islam by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. The Ottoman Empire was comprised mostly of Turks with governors or Beys, under whom Tunisia attained virtual independence.
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In the late sixteenth century, the coast became a [[pirate]] stronghold. The [[piracy]] carried on thereafter by the [[Muslim]]s of [[North Africa]] began as part of the wars against [[Spain]]. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the [[Turkey|Turkish]] hold on the area grew weaker, the plunder, ransom, and [[slaves]] that resulted from attacks on [[Mediterranean]] towns and shipping and from occasional forays into the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] became the main source of revenue for local Muslim rulers.  
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In the spring of 1881, [[France]] invaded Tunisia, claiming that Tunisian troops had crossed the border to [[Algeria]], France's main colony in Northern Africa. The French, controlled Kairouan until 1956, having established a protectorate system of administration that recognized the nominal authority of local government.
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Violent resistance to French rule boiled up in 1954. Independence from France was achieved on March 20, 1956, as a [[constitutional monarchy]] with the Bey of Tunis, Muhammad VIII al-Amin Bey, taking the title King of Tunisia.
  
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Power struggles remained until Kairouan was recaptured by [[Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab]] at the end of the 8th century. In [[800]] Ibrahim was confirmed [[Emir]] and hereditary ruler of [[Ifriqiya]] by [[Caliph]] [[Harun ar-Rashid]] in [[Baghdad]]. [[Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab]] founded the [[Aghlabite]] dynasty that ruled [[Ifriqiya]] between [[800]] and [[909]]. The new Emirs embellished Kairouan and made it their capital which soon became famous for its wealth and prosperity reaching the levels of [[Basra]] and [[Kufa]] and giving Tunisia one of its golden ages long sought after the glorious days of [[Carthage]].
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In 1957, [[Habib Bourguiba]] (1903–2000) became prime minister, immediately abolishing the [[monarchy]], and establishing a strict state under the Neo-Destour (New Constitution) party. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing [[Islam]]ic [[fundamentalism]] and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation.
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[[Image:Kairuan.jpg|800px|thumb|center|Panorama of the minaret and the courtyard (on the right) of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.]]
  
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The [[Aghlabite]]s 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 [[University of Paris]] in the [[Middle Ages]]. In the 9th century the city became a brilliant focus of [[Arab]] and [[Islamic]] cultures attracting scholars from all over the [[Islamic World]]. In that period [[Imam]] [[Sahnun]] and [[Asad ibn al-Furat]] made of Kairouan a temple of knowledge and a magnificent center of diffusion of Islamic sciences. The [[Aghlabite]]s 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 [[Aghlabite]]s palaces, libraries and gardens – and from the crippling taxation imposed to pay for their drunkenness and sundry debaucheries. The [[Aghlabite]] also pacified the country and conquered Sicily in 827.
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==Government==
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[[Tunisia]] is a republic in which the president, who is chief of state, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, and has no term limits. The prime minister, who is head of government, is appointed by the president. There is Chamber of Deputies, or Majlis al-Nuwaab, comprising 189 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, and the Chamber of Advisors, comprising 126 seats of which 85 members are elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, professional associations and trade unions, and 41 members are presidential appointees.
  
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In 893, through the mission of Ubaydalla Said, the [[Kutama]] Berbers from the west of the country started the movement of the [[Shiite]] [[Fatimid]]s. The year 909 saw the overthrow of the [[Sunni]] [[Aghlabite]] that ruled [[Ifriqiya]] and the creation of the [[Shiite]] [[Fatimid]] dynasty. During the reign of the [[Fatimid]]s, Kairouan was neglected and lost its importance as the new rulers resided first in Raqqada but soon moved their capital to the newly built [[Al Mahdiyah]] on the coast of modern Tunisia. After succeeding in extending their rule over all of central [[Maghreb]], an area consisting of the modern countries of [[Morocco]], [[Algeria]], [[Tunisia]] and [[Libya]], they eventually moved west to [[Egypt]] to found [[Cairo]] making it the capital of their vast [[Califate]] and leaving the [[Zirids]] as their vassals in [[Ifriqiya]]. Governing again from Kairouan, the [[Zirids]] led the country through another artistic, commercial and agricultural heyday. Schools and universities flourished, overseas trade in local manufactures and farm produce ran high and the courts of the [[Zirids]] rulers were centers of refinement that eclipsed those of their European contemporaries.
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Kairouan is the capital of the [[Kairouan Governorate]], which is one of Tunisia's 24 [[governorate]]s, and which are divided into 262 districts ''(mutamadiyat),'' and further subdivided into ''delegations.'' There are 11 delegations in Kairouan, which are further divided into [[municipality|municipalities]].
  
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When the [[Zirids]] declared their independence from [[Cairo]] and their conversion to [[Sunni]] Islam in 1045 by giving allegiance to [[Baghdad]], the Fatimid Caliph [[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 destroyed Kairouan in [[1057]] 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 1700 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. In the 13th century under the prosperous [[Hafsids]] dynasty that ruled Ifriqiya, the city started to emerge from its ruins. It is only under the [[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 [[France|French]], after which non-Muslims were allowed access to the city. Recently Kairouan was proclaimed as Capital of Islamic Culture for 2009.
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==Economy==
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[[Tourism]] has made an impact on Kairouan since it was declared a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1988, most notably by providing a reason for the conservation of the old city and the development of the town’s [[Musée d’Art Islamique]]. According to statistics released in December 2008, Tunisia hosted, during the first 11 months of 2008, around 6.6 million tourists, an increase of 3.7 percent on the previous year.  
  
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==Religion==
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The establishment of a [[university]] in 2004, and of some light [[industry]] meant the town has expanded quickly. Otherwise, the modern city trades in [[grain]] and [[livestock]] from the surrounding region, and exists as a center for [[carpet]] and [[handicrafts]]. A [[road]] and [[railway]] link Kairouan with Sousse, 38 miles (61km) to the east.
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There are many [[mosque]]s in the city, among which the great mosque. After its establishment, Kairouan became an [[Islam]]ic and [[Qur'an]]ic learning center in [[North Africa]]. An article titled ''Towards a Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations''<ref>This was originally a paper submitted to the African Union (AU) Experts’ Meeting on a Strategic Geopolitic Vision of Afro-Arab Relations. AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, 11-12 May, 2004 [http://www.hollerafrica.com/showArticle.php?artId=164&catId=1].</ref>
 
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by Professor Kwesi Prah <ref>Director, Centre for Advanced Study of African Societies, Cape Town, South Africa</ref> 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".  
 
  
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Judaism, no longer prevalent in the city, has an illustrious history in Kairouan, particularly in the early [[Middle Ages]]. [[Chananel Ben Chushiel|Rabbeinu Chananel]] was from Kairouan and many other important rabbis, including Rabbi [[Isaac Alfasi]] studied there with him.
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==Demographics==
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Kairouan had about 150,000 inhabitants in 2003. Ninety eight percent of Tunisia's [[population]] were [[Arab]], one percent were [[Europe]]an, while [[Jewish]] and others totaled one percent. [[Arabic language|Arabic]] is the official [[language]], and one of the languages of commerce, while [[French language|French]] is used in commerce.
  
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==Tourism==
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[[Muslim]]s make up 98 percent of the population, [[Christian]]s one percent, Jewish and other one percent. There are numerous [[mosque]]s in Kairouan, including the great mosque. [[Judaism]] featured in Kairouan's history, particularly in the early [[Middle Ages]]. Rabbeinu Chananel (990-1053), who is best known for his commentary on the [[Talmud]], was from Kairouan.
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[[Image:Kairuan.jpg|thumb|555px]]
 
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[[Image:Kairouan-scene-de-rue.jpg|thumb]]
 
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The [[souk]] (market place) of Kairouan is in the [[Medina quarter]], which is surrounded by walls, from which the entrance gates can be seen in the distance. Products that are sold in the souk include 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.  
 
  
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The city's other main site is the [[Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba]], 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. There are 414 columns in the mosque. Almost all were taken from the ruins of [[Carthage]]. Previously, it was forbidden to count them, on pain of blinding.<ref>{{cite book | last = Mooney | first = Julie | title = Ripley's Believe It or Not! Encyclopedia of the Bizarre: Amazing, Strange, Inexplicable, Weird and All True! | publisher = Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers | location = New York | year = 2004 | isbn = 1579123996 | page = 47}}</ref>
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Kairouan University had more than 3000 students enrolled in 2008.
  
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Among Tunisians, Kairouan is known for its pastries (e.g., [[zlebia]] and [[makroudh]]).
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==Places of interest==
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[[Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_04.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A dome of the Great Mosque.]]
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===The Mosque of Uqba===
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Also known as the [[Great Mosque of Kairouan]], the Mosque of Uqba is regarded as a significant monument to [[Islam]], as well as a masterpiece of both [[architecture]] and Islamic art. Under the [[Aghlabid]]s, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan helped the city to develop and repopulate little by little. The university, consisting of scholars who met in the mosque, was a center of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the [[University of Paris]] in the [[Middle Ages]]. With the decline of the city, the center of intellectual thought moved to the [[University of Ez-Zitouna]] in [[Tunis]].
  
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In ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]'', the street scenes in "[[Cairo]]" were filmed in Kairouan.
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Built by [[Uqba ibn Nafi]] beginning in 670 C.E. (the year 50 according to the [[Islamic calendar]]) at the founding of the city of Kairouan, the mosque is spread over a surface area of 9,000 square meters and is considered as a model for all later mosques in the [[Maghreb]] in the western [[Islamic world]].
  
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One of the most important [[mosque]]s in [[Tunisia]], it is certainly one of the most extensive monuments in [[North Africa]] with a huge perimeter approximately equal to 415 meters (1,361 feet). This enormous space contains a prayer hall, a large marble-paved courtyard and a massive minaret. There are 414 columns in the mosque, nearly all of which were taken from the ruins of [[Carthage]].
  
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The mosque's current structure dates from 863 C.E. For centuries, it has served as a pilgrimage destination for North Africans for whom the trip to [[Mecca]] was an impossibility. According to popular belief, seven trips to Kairouan was worth one [[hajj]] to Mecca.
 
<center><gallery>
 
<center><gallery>
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Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_01.jpg
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Image:mosqueeKairouan_2.jpg|Minaret of the Mosque of Uqba
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Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_02.jpg
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Image:Bab Lalla Rihana Osttor der Grossmoschee.JPG|Eastern exterior wall
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Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_03.jpg
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Image:mosqueeKairouan_3.jpg|Courtyard and sundial
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Image:TUNISIE_KAIROUAN_04.jpg
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Image:Galerie grande mosquée.jpg|Colonnade abutting the prayer hall
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Image:mosqueeKairouan_6bis.jpg|Prayer hall
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Image:mosqueeKairouan_7bis.jpg|Prayer hall (with the minbar in the background)
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Image:Mosquée oqba Kairouan by JM ROSIER.jpg|Minaret seen at night
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Image:Puits Mosquée de Kairouan.jpg|Water well in the courtyard
 
</gallery></center>
 
</gallery></center>
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===Other sites of interest===
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* The Medina of Kairouan, the skyline of which includes cupolas and minarets of numerous mosques and ''zawiyas'' (religious schools), preserves a network of narrow, winding streets and courtyard houses, and is contained within walls and gates.
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* The [[souk]]s (market places) in the [[Medina quarter]], has for sale carpets, vases, and [[leather]] goods. Merchants rely on [[tourism|tourists]] for much of their income.
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* The Zawiya of Sīdī Sahab, which contains the [[tomb]] of [[Abu Djama]] one of the companions of [[Muhammad]], is located next to the Great Mosque.
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* An Aghlabid reservoir, an open circular pool 420 feet (128 meters) in diameter, which dates from the ninth century.
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==Looking to the future==
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Kairouan dazzled the world 1,200 years ago with wealth comparable to that of [[Basra]] and [[Kufa]], and as a center of [[Islam]]ic thought and secular [[science]]. A little under 1000 years ago, a split within Islam led to the destruction of that once glorious city. Declared a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1988, [[tourism]], the establishment of another [[university]] there in 2004, plus the establishment of light industry, has helped revive the city's economy.
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While Tunisia struggles to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates, Kairouan's old buildings continue to attract a steady flow of international visitors each year, which is a goldmine for the city's economy.
  
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==Footnotes==
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==References==
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<div class="references-small">
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* Armes, William Dallam. 1915. ''The African Mecca; the holy city of Kairouan.'' Berkeley: University of California Press. OCLC 30001203
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<references/>
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* Maoudoud, Khaled. 1992. ''Kairouan: history of the city and its monuments.'' [Tunis]: National Heritage Agency. ISBN 9789973917065
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</div>
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* Office national du tourisme tunisien. 1984. ''Tunisia: Kairouan.'' [Tunis]: Tunisian National Tourist Office. OCLC 55479562
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* Petrie, Graham. 1908. ''Tunis, Kairouan & Carthage.'' London: W. Heinemann. OCLC 412710
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* ''Sacred Destinations''. [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/tunisia/kairouan-great-mosque.htm The Great Mosque of Kairouan] Retrieved August 5, 2009.
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* Sebag, Paul, and André Martin. 1965. ''The Great Mosque of Kairouan.'' London: Collier-Macmillan. OCLC 1122988
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*''UNESCO World Heritage Centre''. [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=499 Kairouan] Retrieved December 8, 2008.
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* ''World Fact Book''. 2008. Tunisia
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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{{commons|Kairouan|Kairouan}}
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All links retrieved October 4, 2022.
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*[http://www.kairouan.org Official website]
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*Tourismtunisia.com [http://www.tourismtunisia.com/togo/kairouan/kairouan.html Kairouan]  
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*[http://www.tourismtunisia.com/togo/kairouan/kairouan.html Kairouan], tourismtunisia.com
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*[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=33&letter=K#82 Kairwan], JewishEncyclopedia.com
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*[http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=499 Kairouan World heritage Site], whc.unesco.org
 
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*[http://www.flshk.rnu.tn/ Kairouan University]
 
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*[http://www.tunisia.com/Tunisia/Travel/Tunisia-Travel-Guides/Northern-Tunisia/Kairouan Kairouan travel guide]
 
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*[http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=324 Al-Qayrawan], muslimheritage.com
 
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*[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=33&letter=K#82 Kairwan], jewishencyclopedia.com  
 
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*[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Tunisia.html WorldStatesmen-Tunisia]
 
  
 
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Latest revision as of 06:50, 28 February 2023

Kairouan*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mosque of Uqba
State Party Flag of Tunisia Tunisia
Type Cultural
Criteria i, ii, iii, v, vi
Reference 499
Region** Arab States
Inscription history
Inscription 1988  (12th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.
** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Kairouan (Arabic القيروان) (also known as Kirwan, and Al Qayrawan) is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in the nation of Tunisia, about 160 kilometers (100 mi) south of the capital city of Tunis.

Kairouan was founded in 670 C.E., when the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi selected the location as a base for military operations. The Mosque of Uqba, also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, was built when the city was founded. The mosque covers a surface area of 9,000 square meters (97,000 sq ft). It served as a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb of the western Islamic world.

Under the Aghlabids, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan aided the city's development. By the ninth century C.E. the city had become a center of Islamic thought, due both to its mosque and the university, which was a center of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the twelfth century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb's principal holy city.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, tourism, the establishment of a university there in 2004, and the establishment of light industry, helped revive the city's economy. In 2003 the city had 150,000 inhabitants.

Geography

The original name of the city was derived from the Arabic word kairuwân, meaning "camp," "caravan," or "resting place."

Kairouan is located on the Low Steppes area of Tunisia, a semi-arid alluvial plain southeast of the Central Tell, about 100 miles (160km) south of Tunis, at an elevation of 223 feet (68 meters).

Kairouan has a semi-arid Mediterranean climate, with hot summers and mild winters, when there is more rainfall. Spring and autumn are pleasant. The average maximum daytime temperature in January is 63.5°F (17.5°C), rising to an average maximum of around 99.5°F (37.5°C) in July. Mean annual precipitation is 12.1 inches (309mm).

Environmental issues include health risks posed by ineffective toxic and hazardous waste disposal, water pollution from raw sewage, and limited natural fresh water.

To protect Kairouan city against flooding from Wadi Merguellil, the El Haouareb dam was constructed in 1989.

History

This tiered minaret is a remnant of a golden age.
Mosque on Kairouan's main street, 1895.
Kairouan street scene.
Ancient sun-baked buildings.
Fortifications against past foes.

Evidence of human habitation in North African regions stretches back one or two million years. Berbers (anciently more often known as Libyans occupied the region since about 8000 years ago). Phoenicians settled the coast around 1000 B.C.E., and the city of Carthage, near present-day Tunis, was founded in the ninth century B.C.E. by settlers from Tyre.

Kairouan was founded in 670 C.E., when the Arab Umayyad general Uqba ibn Nafi (622–683) selected a site in the middle of a dense forest, then full of wild beasts and reptiles, as a base for military operations, and far enough from the sea that it was safe from continued attacks of the Berbers who had fiercely resisted the Arab invasion. Karouan became an essential element of the Islamic conquest of Ifriqiya, the area comprising the coastal regions of what became western Libya, Tunisia, and eastern Algeria,

Berbers captured Kairouan in 688, and again in 745, by which time it was a developed city with luxuriant gardens and olive groves.

Power struggles continued until Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab (756-812) recaptured Kairouan at the end of the eighth century. In 800, Ibrahim was confirmed Emir and hereditary ruler of Ifriqiya, by the Caliph in Baghdad. Aghlab's dynasty ruled Ifriqiya between 800 and 909. Kairouan prospered, with wealth comparable to that of Basra and Kufa, giving Tunisia one of its golden ages.

Aghlabite Emir Ziyadat Allah I rebuilt the great mosque in 836, and Emir Abou Ibrahim Ahmed added to it in 862-863.

Within the mosque was a university that became a center of Islamic thought and secular sciences, attracting scholars from all over the Islamic World, including Imam Sahnun (776–854), and Asad ibn al-Furat (759-828). The Aghlabites built palaces, fortifications, and fine waterworks, and conquered Sicily in 827.

The Aghlabid emirs enjoyed personal and political excesses, made possible by the lucrative slave trade, prompting the emergence of the Maliki school, which is one of the four schools of Fiqh (religious law or jurisprudence) within Sunni Islam.

In 893, Kutama Berbers from the west of the country started the Shiite Fatimid movement. Fatimid Obaid Allah in 909 overthrew the Sunni Aghlabites, creating the Shiite Fatimid dynasty. Kairouan was neglected as Obaid Allah, who ruled from 910-934, resided first in Raqqada but soon moved his capital to Al Mahdiyah, founded in 916, on the coast of modern Tunisia.

The Fatimids extended their rule over all of central Maghreb, an area including modern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, and moved west to Egypt to found Cairo, making it the capital of their vast Califate, and leaving the Zirids, a Kutama Berber dynasty, as their vassals in Ifriqiya.

Governing again from Kairouan, the governing Fatimids, the Berber Zirid dynasty, led the country through another artistic, commercial and agricultural heyday. Schools and universities flourished, overseas trade in local manufactures and farm produce ran high, and Zirid courts were centers of refinement eclipsing those of their European contemporaries.

In 947-948, the third caliph, Al-Mansour, founded the new city of Sabra Al-Monsouria 1.5km south of Kairouan. However, the Fatimid caliphate transferred to Cairo in 972.

But the Zirids converted to Sunni Islam in 1045, declared their independence from Cairo, and gave their allegiance to Baghdad. The Fatimid Caliph Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah (1029–1094) sent hordes of Arab tribes (Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym) to invade Ifriqiya.

In 1057, Kairouan was invaded and sacked. Kairouan declined into an isolated market town for nomads, although it retained its status as the holy city of the Maghreb.

In 1159, Tunisia was conquered by the Almohads, caliphs of Morocco (1130–1269), who sought to purify Islamic doctrines. From 1160, Tunis became the capital.

The Almohad Dynasty was succeeded by the Hafsids Dynasty (c.1230–1574), under whom Tunisia prospered. In the last years of the Hafsids, Spain seized many of the coastal cities, but these were recovered for Islam by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was comprised mostly of Turks with governors or Beys, under whom Tunisia attained virtual independence.

In the late sixteenth century, the coast became a pirate stronghold. The piracy carried on thereafter by the Muslims of North Africa began as part of the wars against Spain. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the Turkish hold on the area grew weaker, the plunder, ransom, and slaves that resulted from attacks on Mediterranean towns and shipping and from occasional forays into the Atlantic became the main source of revenue for local Muslim rulers.

In the spring of 1881, France invaded Tunisia, claiming that Tunisian troops had crossed the border to Algeria, France's main colony in Northern Africa. The French, controlled Kairouan until 1956, having established a protectorate system of administration that recognized the nominal authority of local government.

Violent resistance to French rule boiled up in 1954. Independence from France was achieved on March 20, 1956, as a constitutional monarchy with the Bey of Tunis, Muhammad VIII al-Amin Bey, taking the title King of Tunisia.

In 1957, Habib Bourguiba (1903–2000) became prime minister, immediately abolishing the monarchy, and establishing a strict state under the Neo-Destour (New Constitution) party. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation.

Panorama of the minaret and the courtyard (on the right) of the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Government

Tunisia is a republic in which the president, who is chief of state, is elected by popular vote for a five-year term, and has no term limits. The prime minister, who is head of government, is appointed by the president. There is Chamber of Deputies, or Majlis al-Nuwaab, comprising 189 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, and the Chamber of Advisors, comprising 126 seats of which 85 members are elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, professional associations and trade unions, and 41 members are presidential appointees.

Kairouan is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate, which is one of Tunisia's 24 governorates, and which are divided into 262 districts (mutamadiyat), and further subdivided into delegations. There are 11 delegations in Kairouan, which are further divided into municipalities.

Economy

Tourism has made an impact on Kairouan since it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988, most notably by providing a reason for the conservation of the old city and the development of the town’s Musée d’Art Islamique. According to statistics released in December 2008, Tunisia hosted, during the first 11 months of 2008, around 6.6 million tourists, an increase of 3.7 percent on the previous year.

The establishment of a university in 2004, and of some light industry meant the town has expanded quickly. Otherwise, the modern city trades in grain and livestock from the surrounding region, and exists as a center for carpet and handicrafts. A road and railway link Kairouan with Sousse, 38 miles (61km) to the east.

Demographics

Kairouan had about 150,000 inhabitants in 2003. Ninety eight percent of Tunisia's population were Arab, one percent were European, while Jewish and others totaled one percent. Arabic is the official language, and one of the languages of commerce, while French is used in commerce.

Muslims make up 98 percent of the population, Christians one percent, Jewish and other one percent. There are numerous mosques in Kairouan, including the great mosque. Judaism featured in Kairouan's history, particularly in the early Middle Ages. Rabbeinu Chananel (990-1053), who is best known for his commentary on the Talmud, was from Kairouan.

Kairouan University had more than 3000 students enrolled in 2008.

Places of interest

A dome of the Great Mosque.

The Mosque of Uqba

Also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the Mosque of Uqba is regarded as a significant monument to Islam, as well as a masterpiece of both architecture and Islamic art. Under the Aghlabids, the fame of the Mosque of Uqba and of the other holy sites at Kairouan helped the city to develop and repopulate little by little. The university, consisting of scholars who met in the mosque, was a center of education both in Islamic thought and in the secular sciences. Its role can be compared to that of the University of Paris in the Middle Ages. With the decline of the city, the center of intellectual thought moved to the University of Ez-Zitouna in Tunis.

Built by Uqba ibn Nafi beginning in 670 C.E. (the year 50 according to the Islamic calendar) at the founding of the city of Kairouan, the mosque is spread over a surface area of 9,000 square meters and is considered as a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb in the western Islamic world.

One of the most important mosques in Tunisia, it is certainly one of the most extensive monuments in North Africa with a huge perimeter approximately equal to 415 meters (1,361 feet). This enormous space contains a prayer hall, a large marble-paved courtyard and a massive minaret. There are 414 columns in the mosque, nearly all of which were taken from the ruins of Carthage.

The mosque's current structure dates from 863 C.E. For centuries, it has served as a pilgrimage destination for North Africans for whom the trip to Mecca was an impossibility. According to popular belief, seven trips to Kairouan was worth one hajj to Mecca.

  • Minaret of the Mosque of Uqba

  • Eastern exterior wall

  • Courtyard and sundial

  • Colonnade abutting the prayer hall

  • Prayer hall

  • Prayer hall (with the minbar in the background)

  • Minaret seen at night

  • Water well in the courtyard

Other sites of interest

  • The Medina of Kairouan, the skyline of which includes cupolas and minarets of numerous mosques and zawiyas (religious schools), preserves a network of narrow, winding streets and courtyard houses, and is contained within walls and gates.
  • The souks (market places) in the Medina quarter, has for sale carpets, vases, and leather goods. Merchants rely on tourists for much of their income.
  • The Zawiya of Sīdī Sahab, which contains the tomb of Abu Djama one of the companions of Muhammad, is located next to the Great Mosque.
  • An Aghlabid reservoir, an open circular pool 420 feet (128 meters) in diameter, which dates from the ninth century.

Looking to the future

Kairouan dazzled the world 1,200 years ago with wealth comparable to that of Basra and Kufa, and as a center of Islamic thought and secular science. A little under 1000 years ago, a split within Islam led to the destruction of that once glorious city. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1988, tourism, the establishment of another university there in 2004, plus the establishment of light industry, has helped revive the city's economy.

While Tunisia struggles to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates, Kairouan's old buildings continue to attract a steady flow of international visitors each year, which is a goldmine for the city's economy.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Armes, William Dallam. 1915. The African Mecca; the holy city of Kairouan. Berkeley: University of California Press. OCLC 30001203
  • Maoudoud, Khaled. 1992. Kairouan: history of the city and its monuments. [Tunis]: National Heritage Agency. ISBN 9789973917065
  • Office national du tourisme tunisien. 1984. Tunisia: Kairouan. [Tunis]: Tunisian National Tourist Office. OCLC 55479562
  • Petrie, Graham. 1908. Tunis, Kairouan & Carthage. London: W. Heinemann. OCLC 412710
  • Sacred Destinations. The Great Mosque of Kairouan Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  • Sebag, Paul, and André Martin. 1965. The Great Mosque of Kairouan. London: Collier-Macmillan. OCLC 1122988
  • UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Kairouan Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  • World Fact Book. 2008. Tunisia

External links

All links retrieved October 4, 2022.

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