Kairouan

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Kairouan

Total population

139,070

Coordinates35.67°, 10.10°

Demographic figures from INS Tunisia. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

Overview

Kairouan or Kairwan, also spelled El Qayrawān, is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya ; this is when it became an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning, attracting Muslims from various parts of the world. The Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city.

Geography

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Notable people from here

Fatima al-Fihriya

Legendary founder of the al-Qarawiyyin mosque

Habiba Ghribi

Tunisian middle- and long-distance runner

Al-Mu'izz ibn Badis

ruler of the Zirids

Ibn al-Aghlab

Emir of Ifriqiya from 875 to 902

D

Dunash ibn Tamim

Tenth century North African Jewish scholar

Georges Cravenne

French film producer (1914-2009)

a

al-Qadi al-Nuʿman

10th-century Muslim historian

N

Nissim ben Jacob

rabbi and exegete from Ifriqiya (990-1062)

Sahnun

Maliki jurist

L

Lassaad Ouertani

Tunisian association football player (1980–2013)

M

Marcel Cravenne

French film director (1908–2002)

Y

Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri

Arab governor of al-Andalus from 747 to 756

Al-Mansur Billah

Fatimid ruler from 946 to 953 and 13th Ismaili Imam

C

Chananel ben Chushiel

rabbi from Ifriqiya

A

Abderrazak Hammami

Tunisian film director and actor (1935–2012)

T

Tamim ibn al-Mu'izz

Ruler of the Zirids

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in Kairouan

• M'Zaret Boumendjel
  116 mi away
• Ouled Driss
  125.3 mi away · pop. 11,303
• Souk Ahras
  127.3 mi away · pop. 155,259
• M'Daourouch
  130.7 mi away · pop. 41,243
• Hadj Rabah
  145.2 mi away
• Settara
  155.4 mi away
• Slapany
  998.6 mi away
• Rovná
  1005.5 mi away · pop. 582
• Žírovice
  1006.1 mi away · pop. 214
• Dasnice
  1007.8 mi away · pop. 353
• Vojtanov
  1007.8 mi away · pop. 174
• Citice
  1009.2 mi away · pop. 713

Browse all places in Kairouan →

Geography & sun

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Public attention

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about Kairouan

Gabby's Dollhouse Scissor Skills Preschool Workbook for Kids

Kairouan Kairouan Publisher · 2021

al- Qayrawān

Munjī Kaʻbī · 1990

Tunis, Kairouan & Carthage

Graham Petrie · 1908

Tunis, Kairouan & Carthage, described and illustrated with forty-eight paintings

Graham Petrie · 1908

The Great Mosque of Kairouan

Paul Sebag · 1965

Recherches sur les installations hydrauliques de Kairouan et des steppes tunisiennes du VIIe au XIe siècle J. C

Marcel Solignac · 1953

La grande mosquée de Kairouan

Paul Sebag · 1963

Kairouan

Abdelwahab Bouhdiba · 2010

Search results from Open Library.

Recently spotted species

Mexican palo verde

Parkinsonia aculeata

Seen 2026-06-01

silverleaf nightshade

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Seen 2026-06-01

Slender Iceplant

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum

Seen 2026-06-01

Domestic Cat

Felis catus

Seen 2026-06-01

Sleeping Hibiscus

Malvaviscus penduliflorus

Seen 2026-01-31

beautiful bougainvillea

Bougainvillea spectabilis

Seen 2026-01-31

Mediterranean House Gecko

Hemidactylus turcicus

Seen 2025-12-18

common reed

Phragmites australis

Seen 2025-10-28

Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth

Spoladea recurvalis

Seen 2025-10-27

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).