Qayrawan

القيروان

Qayrawan, the garrison-city of Ifriqiya; Uqba ibn Nafi' al-Fihri laid it out on a thicket-site of trees unapproachable for beasts, snakes and deadly vermin — praying to his Lord until all that was removed, the very beasts fleeing with their young — then built, the people building houses and dwellings with him, and built its congregational mosque, having seen in a dream a man giving the call to prayer where its minaret stood, so he built the minarets on the man's station; and Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i repaired the city and its mosque in his governorship for Abu al-Abbas.

Overview

Al-Qayrawan is the capital (misr) of Ifriqiya, founded by Uqba ibn Nafi al-Fihri. ¹

Founding

Its site was a thicket of trees and tamarisk, which wild beasts, snakes and deadly scorpions made impassable. The source relates that Uqba prayed to his Lord, and all of that vanished. Then he built, and the people built houses and dwellings with him, and he built its congregational mosque. He had seen in a dream a man calling the adhan in the place of the minaret, so he built the minarets on the spot where the man had stood. ¹ See The founding of al-Qayrawan.

Restoration

Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i repaired the city and its mosque during his governorship for Abu al-Abbas. ¹

Al-Muqaddasi's description

Al-Muqaddasi saw its congregational mosque around the year 375 AH, and counted it greater than the mosque of Ibn Tulun, paved with marble, with its gutters of lead. The city has fifteen lanes (darb), among them the Lane of al-Rabi', the Lane of Tunis and the Lane of Nafi'. ²

Qayrawan

At a glance

Overview

Founding

Restoration

Al-Muqaddasi's description

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Place

Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i