We left the hotel at 8am. Our first stop was the Barber’s Mosque, which you would think would have some association with barbers but does not. It got its name because an apostle of Mohamed who is buried at Kairouan carried three hairs from the beard of Mohamed on his journey to spread the word of Islam. Go figure.
Views from the Barber's Mosque:
The mosque was simple but also very beautiful. We were not allowed to go into the mosque but were allowed to enjoy the courtyards outside of the mosque. The architecture was very simple and you could see the rooms in which the mujahedeen (students of Islam) used to stay.
From there we went to the Grand Mosque. We managed to sneak in before hoardes of French arrived. We could look into the prayer room of the mosque, which was absolutely beautiful in its simplicity. Afterwards Mohamed explained the history of Islam and how it spread through North Africa. We had a chance to take pictures and then boarded the bus again, this time bound for the medina.
Views from the Grand Mosque:
Mohamed guided us through the medina and it was nice to have someone there to look over us and to shoo away anyone who wanted to take advantage of our poor confused tourist selves. The highlight was the water wheel, which is powered by a camel.
Views from the medina:
Today the camel walks around in circles to please tourists but in the past the camel played an important role providing water for the people who lived in the city or did business in the medina.
Our next stop was a shop that sold authentic Kairouan carpets. I wasn’t planning to buy a carpet but a kilim caught my eye. I tried to use my credit card to buy it isn’t working for some reason. I had to put the purchase through on another woman’s card and then pay her back in cash.
Making Kairouan carpets:
After the spending spree at the carpet store we drove to Sbeitla, another town that played an important pre-B.C. role in the history of Tunisia. This time it was founded by the Greeks. They thought they’d be safe from the Romans to the north but didn’t realize that they would be in danger from the Arabs to the south. The town was overthrown in one battle with the Arabs, who sacked it and then promptly headed home.
Views from Sbeitla:
After Sbeitla we had a long drive to Gafsa. There isn’t much of note in Gafsa. It’s very desolate. We’re staying in a completely kitschy hotel called the Jagurtha Palace, and it’s every bit as pink and gold as you’d imagine.
Tomorrow we’re heading out on a 4x4 ride to an oasis, then driving to a city further south called Tozeur. More coming soon…
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