Kairouan
ٱلْقَيْرَوَان | |
|---|---|
 Top (from left to right): Monument to Kairouan carpets, Great Mosque of Kairouan Second row: Historic city walls, Aghlabid Basins Third row: Zawiya of Sidi Abid al-Ghariani, Makroudh Bottom: Kairouan carpets, Bazaar, Medina quarter | |
  Kairouan Location in Tunisia  Kairouan Kairouan (Mediterranean)  Kairouan Kairouan (Africa) | |
| Coordinates: 35°40′38″N 10°06′03″E / 35.67722°N 10.10083°E | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Kairouan Governorate |
| Delegation(s) | Kairouan North, Kairouan South |
| Founded | 670 CE |
| Founded by | Uqba ibn Nafi |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Radouane Bouden (Ennahda) |
| Elevation | 68 m (223 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 210,313 |
| Website | Official website |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, ii, iii, v, vi |
| Reference | 499 |
| Inscription | 1988 (12th Session) |
| Area | 68.02 ha |
| Buffer zone | 154.36 ha |
Kairouan (UK: /ˌkaɪər(ʊ)ˈwɑːn/, US: /kɛərˈ-/), also spelled El Qayrawān or Kairwan (Arabic: ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, romanized: al-Qayrawān [æl qɑjrɑˈwæːn] , Tunisian Arabic: Qeirwān [qɪrˈwɛːn] ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670,[1] in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661–680); this is when it became an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning,[2] attracting Muslims from various parts of the world. The Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city.[3][4]
- ^ Nagendra Kr Singh, International encyclopaedia of Islamic dynasties. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. 2002. page 1006
- ^ Luscombe, David; Riley-Smith, Jonathan, eds. (2004). The New Cambridge Medieval History, Volume 2; Volume 4. Cambridge University Press. p. 696. ISBN 9780521414111.
- ^ Europa Publications "General Survey: Holy Places" The Middle East and North Africa 2003, p. 147. Routledge, 2003. ISBN 1-85743-132-4. "The city is regarded as a holy place for Muslims."
- ^ Hutchinson Encyclopedia 1996 Edition. Helicon Publishing Ltd, Oxford. 1996. p. 572. ISBN 1-85986-107-5.