Tunisia chapter six
A morning in the holy city of Kairouan and an afternoon in Tozeur.
Boutheina picks me up in the early and we drive off into town. The sun is barely in the sky and the streets are dim.
Our first stop are the Basins of Aghlabides on the edge of the original city. She pays our entrance fee and I climb to the roof of a small building for the view.
Built under Aghlabid rule in the 9th century, the basins were designed to supply water to the city. A series of historic reservoirs and hydraulic works, the existing basins served as settling tanks, which partially purified the water before it was supplied to the city.
A group of visitors on a small bus tour crowd the edge of the roof and I explore other vantage points as they take photos.
I find Boutheina in the gift shop, drinking a coffee. I offer to pay for it and fish a few coins out of my pocket. She asks me if I’d like one. I decline.
We head next to the Great Mosque of Kairouan, one of the largest Islamic monumnets in North Africa. Established by Uqba ibn Nafi in 670 C.E., its establishment coincided with the founding of Kairouan itself. One of the oldest mosques in the Islamic world, it served as a model for all later mosques in the Maghreb.
Boutheina leads me around the mosque and then gives me time to explore on my own. It’s empty. One family wanders around and then leaves, a few other tourists arrive after I’ve explored for a while. I’m surprised that there are groups being bused in.
The mosque itself is beautiful, with a huge interior courtyard. A sundial sits off to the side. One woman sets up her phone and films herself while another appears to be taking selfies.
Boutheina points out details: Arabic calligraphy etched into one particular column, and the cross carved into a capital almost hidden by a column and capital placed before it.
I could spend the morning sitting in the coutyard writing postcards but there’s more to see. I meet Boutheina by the entrance and we walk out and around the mosque.
She asks if I’d be interested in visiting a carpet shop, just to look no need to buy. I indulge her and my curiosity and she brings me to a shop opposite the mosque. Tea is proffered, carpets are unfurled. I find myself inquiring as to pricing and engaging in some polite bargaining with Laurenz. Before I know it I’m the proud owner of a beautiful white carpet with intricate geometric designs.
He offers me a prayer rug for free and I ask if he has one for Boutheina. He tells her she can choose from the same stack.
He offers to show me the view of the mosque from the roof and I accept his invitation. It’s a few more flight up to the top and I’m greeted by a cat when I arrive to take in the surroundings.
From the mosque we drive to the Zaouia of Sidi Sahabi, the Mosque of the Barber. It dates to the early history of Kairouan, though the current complex was renovated in the 17th century.
Inside, it’s beautifully decorated with colorful tiles that run throughout the complex. Tradition states that the barber of Muhammad was buried here along with three hairs from Muhammad’s beard in 654 after dying in battle. The barber is the patron saint of Kairouan.
Boutheina leads me to the tomb but I am not allowed to enter. I had my phone over to an attendant and he takes photos for me, showing me when he comes back outside.
The drive from Kairouan is a little under four and a half hours and we set off after visiting the mosque. Along the way Boutheina sees a woman making bread by the side of the road and we stop to eat some as a snack. It’s delicious.
We stop for lunch in a small town. Boutheina orders us quail, which we eat with our hands off the bone before climbing back in the car and driving on.
We arrive in Tozeur in the late afternoon and Boutheina immediately organizes a horse-drawn carriage ride through the palm tree groves on the outskirts of town. It’s a beautiful afternoon, the sun casts golden rays upon the trees.
The ride ends at Chak Wak Park and Boutheina asks if I’d like to have a look. I’m not sure what it is but I say yes. It’s an amalgam of a history and culture and I find myself walking between dinosaurs one minute and through the garden of eden the next. There are recreations of African villages and Noah’s Ark. At one point, we walk through a recreation of the parted Red Sea.
Final rooms are devoted to world religions, each represented with statuary and art. It’s a wild place, but I can’t resist its charms.
It’s almost dark by the time we finish, the sun having set while we toured its grounds.
I walk Boutheina to her hotel after dinner and then spend a little time walking the downtown area at night. Along the main road there’s some sort of commotion and someone is throwing bricks off the roof. I give the area a wide berth and walk to the end of the street.
At the roundabout I turn around and head back towards the main square. The commotion has died down and I take in the crowds as they bustle on either side of the busy road.
The area around the main square is quieter, the streets that lead off the main road less traveled. Date sellers sit by their stands, waiting for late night customers.
Back at the hotel there’s a party in progress. A group has arrived and paid for a singer to entertain them throughout dinner. The hotel (Dar Fatima Elbahbouha) is beautiful. The owner spend seven years converting his parental home into the hotel and the care and dedication shows.
The music plays long into the night. I listen while I prepare myself for bed and it ends shortly after I’ve climbed under the covers, wondering what the next day has in store. 🇹🇳
27 December 2025
