Our last day in Tunisia was a big one. We were to drive from the holy city of Kairouan back to the capital of Tunis before boarding a flight onwards to Oslo (via Paris). Despite the fact that we needed to be at the airport by around 2pm, Jamel was determined for us to pack in a whole days worth of sightseeing.
We started the day with a visited to the Barbier Mausoleum (also known as Zawiya of Sidi Sahib or the Mosque of the Barber) which is a religious complex and shrine dedicated to Sidi Sahib who was said to be the barber and companion of Muhammed. It is said that Sidi Sahib – locally considered the towns patron saint – was buried here alongside three strands of Muhammed’s beard.
The original complex was constructed in the 11th century but most of the current standing structure dates back to the 1600’s when major restorations were undertaken.
It was an absolutely gorgeous place to visit and easily one of the most architecturally gorgeous places that I have visited in a long time.
Next up was the Great Mosque of Kairouan. Generally considered one of the oldest mosques in all of Africa and with a capacity of around 35,000 people, Kairouan Mosque is an especially holy site for those practising Islam.
It is said locally that seven pilgrimages to Kairouan is equivalent to one pilgrimage to Mecca!
There are a few architectural details in this mosque that I had never before seen in other mosques of similar size, firstly, there was this impluvium (fancy word for rainwater collector) that is all kinds of genius. The slight downward slope of the courtyard ensures that rainwater is successfully collected, then it is filtered before flowing into an underground cistern.
There is also a fascinating sundial near to the centre of the courtyard which can be accessed by climbing this adorable little staircase. Dating back to the 1800’s, this sundial is used to determine the times of prayers.
The architecture reminded me a lot of Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and overall this was absolutely worth the visit.
Also, little hot tip, you can get a gorgeous view of the mosque from above if you climb to the roof of a nearby shop!
From Kairouan we drove back towards Tunis but as we still had a number of hours before we had to be at the airport we decided to head towards one of the most beautiful (and affluent) outer suburbs of the Tunisian capital – Sidi Bou Said.
Sidi Bou Said is considered its own little town by some but in the greater Tunis areas it is one of the two most affluent suburbs. This area is famous for its Andalusian-esque appearance. Popular with locals, tourists and artists alike, the white and blue buildings set overlooking the Mediterranean sea are undeniably aesthetically pleasing.
Jamel insisted that we try a ‘bambalouni’ which is Tunisia’s answer to the doughnut… and in my honest opinion it is quite the improvement on a western style doughnut, this shit absolutely slapped.
Would return to Tunisia just to eat one of these again tbh.
The views over the Med were glorious. We honestly felt like we could’ve been in Greece or the South of France – very easy to see why real estate in this area is so pricey!
As our exploring time dwindled and the need to head onwards to the airport become more glaring we took a few minutes to take a few pictures – our week in Tunisia had exceeded every single one of my expectations and a great part of that was due to our guide Jamel.
Jamel was kind, flexible, funny, informative and everything we could’ve wanted in a guide. I am so glad that we didn’t decide to self drive, sure, we definitely could have, but it wouldn’t have been the same without Jamel.
If you have been inspired to visit Tunisia (and seriously, how could you not have been?) I truly cannot recommend him enough.
Next weeks post will be a guide to planning a Star Wars adventure in Tunisia – stay tuned!
Kairouan Mosque: This unmissable mosque is free to visit and has a fairly loose dress code compared to most mosques that I have visited – my leggings weren’t an issue, I was just required to cover my hair with a scarf. I highly recommend travelling with your own scarf but you can borrow one if you aren’t able to do so
Tours by Jamel: We absolutely loved our trip with Jamel and truly couldn’t have asked for a better guide. We booked our trip with Jamel directly via whatsapp messages, you can contact him through whatsapp on +216 98 202 283 or check out his website by clicking here
Remember: Tunisia is a small but mighty country with so much to see and do – I wouldn’t recommend visiting for any less than 5 days and would say that 7-10 days would be an optimal trip length
