During the second half of Ramadan, Tunisian families and even tourists pay special attention to the city of Kairouan (about 150 kilometers southwest of Tunis), which turns into a religious magnet with many rituals, social activities and diverse cultures.
Kairouan is considered the fourth holiest place for Muslims and it becomes during the last ten days of Ramadan. Mosques become more active and social and cultural activities become more diverse, including the Festival of the Sufi Inshad (Singing) and the City Nights Festival.
During the second half of Ramadan, Tunisian families and even tourists pay special attention to the city of Kairouan (about 150 kilometers southwest of Tunis), which turns into a religious magnet with many rituals, social activities and diverse cultures.
Kairouan is considered the fourth holiest place for Muslims and it becomes during the last ten days of Ramadan. Mosques become more active and social and cultural activities become more diverse, including the Festival of the Sufi Inshad (Singing) and the City Nights Festival.
The largely rural city is home to longstanding mosques which date back to seventh century B.C., including the Great Mosque of Kairouan, also known as the Mosque of Uqba, and the city’s old quarters. Kairouan attracts thousands of Muslim guests as part of tourist trips from Arab and African countries to enjoy the special religious atmosphere.
In Ramadan, the Kairouan people focus on preparing all requirements including the cereals and spices which, they believe, enhance the food flavor and make it tastier. They keep the tradition of preparing couscous and dishes made from barley as appetizers.
Families prepare traditional sweets and coffee with diverse flavors including that of oranges grown in Kairouan, to be soaked in rose water (produced abundantly in the region) or in flower water imported by traders from the coastal city of Nabeul. The scented water is distilled and stored to be used in medical treatments, fragrance or as a flavor in manufacturing sweets and juices. The brides take some of it as part of their trousseau in addition to the traditional copper vessels which Kairouan families keep, maintain and buy before the advent of Ramadan.
Before Ramadan, houses are renovated, painted and decorated and furniture including the well-known Kairouan traditional carpets are renovated to receive guests and visitors. Mosques are renovated to receive Muslims before Ramadan, the most important Islamic occasion for Muslims due to its distinctive rituals.
Mosques open all night
Breaking the fast is announced by Ramadan’s cannon which is still used in Kairouan among other few Tunisian cities. At night, the streets fill up, the markets are packed with people and the shops stay open late. People stay up late to enjoy the night’s breeze at the public squares after a long, hot day.
Kairouan visitors are divided among its cafés and mosques. The number of cafés in the city is almost equal to the number of mosques. The cafés become so crowded that they expand toward the sidewalks. However, the municipal authorities turn a blind eye during during Ramadan. Cafés are only open at night, respecting the people’s customs and laws in a city with deep-seated spiritual and Islamic traditions.
City mosques host large numbers of people coming to pray. In Ramadan, unlike the other months, women go to the mosque. On this unique occasion, the mosques’ administrations renovate and decorate them and provide the worshippers with all they need. Some mosques such as the Mosque of Uqba, the Ansari Mosque (the oldest in Kairouan), and the Shrine of Abu Zam’a Al-Balawi benefit from their historical symbolism and their ancient architecture and receive huge numbers of worshippers.
These mosques attract the Quran memorizers to be imams during the Tarawih Prayers. They have sweet voices and are selected from those who excel in the Quran contests held during Ramadan. Their results are announced during a religious celebration held on the 27th night of Ramadan in the Mosque of Uqba ibn with senior governmental figures attending.
International celebrations
The Mosque of Uqba attracts most visitors including local inhabitants and tourists from other Gulf and Maghreb countries and Indonesia. One of those is Omari, an Indonesian citizen who comes every year to spend Ramadan in Kairouan and stays at a friend of his. People love this mosque due to its religious and cultural value as Tunisia’s oldest mosque. It receives the officials’ attention and hosts major religious celebrations.
The mosque visitors post video clips and photos of the prayers and live videos on the social-networking sites. Families set off to the mosque carrying their food with them, starting from sunset and spend the night in the mosque and break their fast and eat Suhoor there.
The Kairouan religious and cultural values encouraged the Ministry of Religious Affairs to organize the largest religious gathering called: “Quran Is a Peace Message” to mark the passing of 1450 years since the revelation of the Holy Quran.
The event was held at the Mosque of Uqba and attended by thousands of young and middle-aged men and women from various areas and by guests from Arab countries, especially Palestine whose Minister of Religious Endowments was among the attendees. He announced unity between the Mosque of Uqba and the Ibrahimi Mosque, one of the Aqsa mosques in Palestine, built before the Mosque of Uqba and after the Masjid al-Haram in Saudi Arabia.
The iftar (breaking the fast) banquets for the poor are organized under the supervision of civil society organizations with government support and offer either religious or cultural tourism activities.
