Nice mosque in Kairouan. The mosque was built as a fortress as well so the minaret is unique - and the oldest standing minaret. Currently the inside of the mosque is only for prayers, and I was unable to enter. The courtyard is the most interesting part of the Great Mosque in my opinion.

Located at the east end of the Kairouan Medina. There are several tourist attractions in the area that you can visit with one ticket that costs 12 TND. The Great Mosque is impressive and definitely worth checking out. The prayer room is off-limits to non-Muslims. It closes at 3PM so I recommend you go there early.

This mosque was very high on my bucket list, being the oldest and largest mosque built in North Africa, a mere 50 years after the death of Mohammed. It set the tone for all future mosques in the Maghreb or Andalusia with its innovative Islamic architecture : the first time they used horseshoe arches, the oldest minaret in the Muslim world. One feature that immediately grabs the attention is the copious use of "re-used" columns in marble, granite of porphyry, topped with Corinthian, Ionic or composite capitals : more than 500 were pilfered from Roman or Byzantine sites like Carthage or Sbeitla to support the arches. Non-Muslims are not allowed in the prayer hall, but you get a good view anyway.

This was just something else.  I have travelled much of the world, but this took my breath away.  Simple and basic but walking inside you are taken back to another era.  Like stepping back in time.  Peaceful.  The holiest Islamic site in North Africa.  Easy morning half-day trip from Sousse.  Go early as it is cooler.  I am Muslim so didn't have to pay to enter.  The staff will provide you with a robe or throw if you are not appropriately dressed.  Take in the exterior, then walk inside the Great Mosque and stand in the middle of the courtyard to really appreciate this holy Islamic site.  You can have a glimpse inside the prayer hall but you cannot go inside if you are not Muslim.  I had a guide with me which was very helpful.  If you go alone, I believe there is some information if I am not mistaken but very little.

Incredible mosque (fourth most sacred site in Islam). Very simple, not flashy. The columns in the courtyard are reused from roman and Carthaginian sites. Praying hall is very simple, but the place has a spiritual vibe that impels you to prayer. We enter as tourists, but left as simple humans having communed with the divine (and we are not muslims).

The Great Mosque of Kairouan is the largest mosque in Tunisia and one of the four major mosques in the world. According to local tradition, visiting this magnificent mosque seven times is equivalent to making a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. Founded in the year 670 by the Arab general Uqba ibn Nafi, the mosque serves as a model for all other mosques in Tunisia. Its architecture is simple yet striking, featuring a vast courtyard, a large prayer hall, and a towering minaret that dominates the skyline of Kairouan. The mosque is renowned for its beautifully decorated mihrab, intricately carved wooden minbar, and stunning stucco and tile work. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Great Mosque of Kairouan is not only a place of