TravelEatShopSleep.com: Fall Break, Exploring Southern Tunisia, Kairouan

Fall Break, Exploring Southern Tunisia

We had a week break mid October so a bunch of us from work decided to explore Southern Tunisia. Four various groups, some people had others visiting from around the world for this adventure. We all left in the morning from Carthage, on the outskirt of Tunis.

Our first stop was Kairouan, which was south, about 2 hours from Tunis. This was our first stop and break. We wanted to tour the ancient mosque, which is one of the holiest sites in the world.
The females in our group had to borrow scarfs to cover our heads, and one or two gals were wearing clothing that was deemed not appropriate by the tour guide so they were given a covering that looked like a big sheet. I wore something loose and flowey so I only had to cover my head.
"Kairouan was founded in AD 670 by Oqba ibn Nafi, who, according to legend, chanced upon a golden goblet in the sand that turned out to have been lost in Mecca. When the goblet was picked up water sprang from the ground. The city's main sight is the Great Mosque, which is an important pilgrimage destination. Kairouan has many other interesting things to see and the city was declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1988." From Tunisia Eyewitness Travel.

Wandering up to the mosque, which is on the left.

This is one of the original doors dating back
hundreds and hundreds of year.

Most of the were taken from other buildings,
both pagan and Christian.

Looking into the prayer hall. You cannot
enter unless you are Muslim.

The cistern is in the middle of this courtyard.
The ground is slightly sloping to collect the rainwater.

There are hundreds of pillars throughout this mosque.
Most all of them are different because they were taken
from various sites throughout the country and used
to build this mosque. Pillaged you could say.

The builders could not read so one of these carved stones is
placed the wrong-side up and the words are upside down.

Frame worthy?

The sundial is near the middle of the courtyard in this mosque. I wish I could recall just how old it is because I thought it was brought from a very ancient site and used here. I will find out next time.
The cistern in the very middle of the courtyard is slightly sloped and used to collect rainwater. The intricate decorations around this hole are supposed to help filter the water before it goes down into the well. It does not rain here for months on end, but during the winter months it can make up for lost time!

The ancient sundial used to tell time for prayer.

The cistern used to collect the rainwater.

Leaving the mosque. Wow, what a beautiful place! What an experience!
We shall be back!

The winding alley/streets are so scenic with their vivid colors. The streets are dusty and they could use a regular trash man. There are many cats as well as "tourist guides" who want to befriend you here. We only had a short time to wander because we had to hit the road soon.