Kairouan's medina is a walled city that still behaves like one. Its limewashed alleys wind between houses with blue doors, studded with nails in geometric patterns, and the main street leads past a mix of carpet shops, sweet-sellers and workshops where men hammer copper and sew leather. The walls, mostly rebuilt in the eighteenth century, enclose a place that has been important since the seventh century, and UNESCO listed the old city in 1988. The faubourgs, or suburbs, spread outward from the walls, with the cemeteries, the Aghlabid water basins and a number of tombs and zawiyas.
The Great Mosque, named for Uqba ibn Nafi, is the heart of the medina. Its courtyard is huge and paved in stone, with a sundial and a cistern system, and its minaret, one of the oldest in the Islamic world, rises in three tapering stages. Non-Muslims can usually visit the courtyard but not the prayer hall, so ask politely and respect the signs. Nearby, the Bir Barouta, a well said to be linked to Mecca, has a camel that walks in circles to raise the water, which is a bit of a show, though the well itself is old and revered.
The riding here is not the point. Kairouan sits on a flat steppe, and the roads in and out are straight, hot and busy with lorries, shared taxis and carts. What makes the journey worthwhile is the way the landscape opens, with olive groves, sheep, low walls and distant hills, and the sense of an old inland capital in the middle of nowhere. Park outside the walls and explore on foot, because the alleys are narrow and the sun can be fierce at midday. Leave valuables out of sight and expect a few friendly offers from guides.
The city has fuel and food in all directions, with simple restaurants serving couscous, grilled lamb and brik, and teahouses where you can sit with a glass of mint tea. October to May is the comfortable season, and the early morning light on the walls is lovely.