The Great Mosque of Kairouan

Built, as you might remember, with some of the stones plundered from the site of El Djem, the 9th century Great Mosque has a lovely minaret and domes like lemon squeezers. Carpets there are based on the tile patterns from Sidi Sahab's mausoleum. It’s constructed with Roman and other cultures’ pillars and capitals, including stones from the Antonine baths in Carthage. and has extensive cisterns to hold rainwater filtered by a decorative drains with horse, camel, donkey, and bird footprints carved into the stone. We met with the Imam and were able to ask all manner of questions, which he was quite accommodating in answering




One of the plundered stones used in the mosque's construction; hopefully whatever it says in Latin doesn't conflict with the precepts of Islam.