Holy city of carpets

Kairouan. A city famous for its carpetcraft. Here everybody makes carpets, and before you know it, you've bought one.

When we entered the city, the rain finally stopped and the sun broke through. It seemed like the world was suddenly happy we were in Kairouan. Off course, when you are in Kairouan, you've got to see the carpets, so we got a demonstration of the hard job of making carpets and a show on the different figures and materials that are in use. Later on, when we were walking through the big medina, looking for a specific mosque, a local tried to pull us into a carpet shop. Again we were asked to touch and feel and admire the carpets.

Kairouan is also the 4th holiest muslim city (behind Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem). I heard that seven visits to kairouan equal one visit to Mecca. The Great Mosque of the city (Mosque of Uqba) is indeed a great building, and a world heritage site. The praying quarters are off limit to non-muslims, but the courtyard is accessible. And large. The minaret is a huge block, watching over the city and visible from many spots in town. By now it began raining - again - so we hid behind the rows of pillars and took a quick peek inside the mosque, behind massive decorated wooden doors.

There is also the Mausoleum of the Barber. This man supposedly had 3 hairs from Mohammed's beard. He died in Kairouan, but nobody exactly knows at what spot. Still, a Mausoleum was placed to commemmorate him. And this building is one of the most impressive of Tunisia. For one, it is perhaps the most lavishly decorated building I have ever seen. Many years of work must have been needed to make this.

We ended the day by tasting some local food. I can describe it best as a flat spicy omelet sandwich. Yummy!