The main attraction of Kairouan is considered to be the Uqba Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the Islamic world. It was laid out by the founder of the city of Kairouan, a military leader familiar with the Prophet Muhammad - Uqba ibn Nafi. This happened in 688. Berbers, on whose lands came the Muslim army led by ibn Nafi, destroyed the Great Mosque, but in its place in just a few years appeared a new, more majestic building, which we can see now. The order to rebuild the mosque was given by Hassan bin Noman, a follower of Uqba ibn Nafi. Over the centuries, the Uqba Mosque has been reconstructed and remodelled many times. Non-Muslim foreigners can only visit the inner courtyard of the mosque, framed by an arched gallery. The courtyard is paved with white coloured slabs. In the marble pavement can be seen several holes through which rainwater enters the underground tanks.
The prayer hall is supported by hundreds of columns, which are older than the mosque itself, having been taken from the temples of Carthage and Hadrumet. There is a belief that the columns in the mosque should not be counted, for one might go blind afterwards. Other connoisseurs of local legends assure that, on the contrary, a lucky person who is able to calculate how many columns in the mosque can be freed from all sins. The mihrab, the niche to which Muslims turn during prayer, is decorated with faience plates dating back to the 9th century.
The impressive ensemble of the Uqba Mosque is crowned by a 35-metre-high minaret. It consists of three parts and has a square shape.
