Kairouan was founded in 670 by an Arab general named Uqba ibn Nafi, who reportedly chose a dry plain far from the sea so that his army could not be attacked from ships, and over the centuries it became the fourth holy city of Islam, after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The zawiya of Sidi Sahib, usually called the Barber's Mosque, is one of the places where that reputation shows. It is a mausoleum complex built around the tomb of Abu Zama al-Balawi, who is said to have been a companion of the Prophet and to have carried three hairs of his beard, which is how the barber nickname came about.
You walk in through a long passage into a series of courtyards, with a tiled arcade and carved plaster, and then rooms covered in glazed tiles with floral and geometric patterns in blue, green and yellow. The decoration mostly dates from the seventeenth century, long after the original burial, when Ottoman-era craftsmen refined the place. It is unusually colourful for Kairouan, whose famous Great Mosque is austere and sandy in tone. Visitors are usually welcome outside prayer times, but dress with covered arms and legs, and expect to take off your shoes. Early morning, before the tour buses, is calm and cool.
Kairouan lies on an open plain in central Tunisia, and the ride in from the coast or from Tunis crosses flat steppe with olive trees, sheep and the occasional prickly pear hedge. The roads are generally good but busy with trucks and shared taxis, and the climate is harsh: scorching in summer, sometimes surprisingly cold on winter mornings, and with dust whenever the wind blows from the south. Spring, March to May, is the best time, when the fields are briefly green and wildflowers cover the verges.
The city has more than a hundred thousand people, so you will find fuel and hotels without trouble. Do not leave without trying makroud, a date-filled semolina pastry fried in oil and soaked in honey, sold in the shops along the medina's main street. The city is also known for carpets, and the sellers will tell you so before you reach the doorway, so be ready for good-humoured bargaining.