The Medina of Al-Qayrawân

The documentary introduces the Medina of Al-Qayrawân, which is a unique inland city which has been shaped by its rich multicultural heritage.

Al-Qayrawân, or Kairouan, was established in the 7th century on the site of a Byzantine fortress in north central Tunisia. It was the first Arabo-Muslim base in the Maghreb and it was chosen as the capital of the Maghreb under the Aghlabids.

Al-Qayrawân subsequently developed as an eminent centre of faith, education, administration and commerce under the Fatimid and Zirid dynasties and became an important centre for the study of medicine by Muslim and Jewish scholars.

This legacy is materialised in the architectural fabric of the city which bears the traces of this cultural and religious diversity, intellectual expertise and technical know-how which is featured in the showcase of impressive monuments from the Great Mosque of Al-Qayrawan to the ingenious Aghlabid basins.