凯鲁万大清真寺(Great Mosque of Kairouan)始建于公元670年,也就是伊斯兰历50年。作为北非第一座清真寺,它占地约9000平方米,不仅是突尼斯凯鲁万(Kairouan)古城的精神内核,更是伊斯兰建筑史上的里程碑。非穆斯林游客支付12第纳尔的联票后,可以在特定时间内进入宽阔的白色大理石中庭,近距离观察那些由400多根古罗马石柱支撑起来的历史建筑。这里的每一块砖石都见证了从奥克巴(Uqba ibn Nafi)建城至今超过1300年的风云变幻,是任何来到突尼斯旅行的人都无法绕过的文化坐标。
凯鲁万大清真寺并不单独售票。你需要购买一种名为凯鲁万联票(Unified Ticket)的通票,价格大约是12第纳尔,另外如果带相机拍照可能还需额外支付1第纳尔。这张票在两天内有效,除了大清真寺,还涵盖了阿格拉比特蓄水池(Aghlabid Basins)、西迪撒哈卜陵墓(Zaouia of Sidi Sahab)等五个核心景点。售票处就在大清真寺入口斜对面的一个办公室里,千万别走到门口才发现没票。建议出发前在突尼斯国家文物局官网核实最新价格,因为当地票价偶尔会有小幅度调整。
清真寺对非穆斯林游客的开放时间主要集中在上午,通常是早晨8点到下午2点,周五因为主麻日祷告可能会缩短开放时间或临时关闭。说真的,最好在上午10点前赶到,那时候阳光刚好斜射在大理石地面上,能拍出非常有质感的倒影,而且能避开从苏塞(Sousse)或者突尼斯市(Tunis)赶过来的旅游大巴团。等到中午12点以后,白色的中庭在烈日下会非常晃眼,体感温度也会迅速飙升。
从首都突尼斯市出发,最靠谱的方式是在南方车站(Gare Routière Sud)搭乘卢阿日(Louage,一种当地拼车小巴)。这种车坐满就走,车程大约两个半小时,单程票价通常在10到15第纳尔之间。如果你住在苏塞,距离就近多了,不到一个半小时就能到。到了凯鲁万车站后,直接打个车去大清真寺(Djamaa Sidi Oqba),车费也就2到3第纳尔,当地司机对这个核心地标熟得很。
走进大清真寺的祈祷大厅门口,最震撼的就是那片石柱森林。这些石柱和柱头并不是为了这座清真寺专门雕刻的,而是从迦太基(Carthage)或者哈德鲁梅图姆(Hadrumetum)等古罗马遗址里拆解运来的。仔细看那些柱头,有的还带着精致的科林斯式卷草纹,甚至能偶尔看到被刻意磨掉的十字架痕迹。这种把古罗马文明的骨架融入伊斯兰建筑的做法,在公元8世纪左右非常流行。虽然非穆斯林不能踩在祈祷厅的地毯上,但大门通常是敞开的,你可以站在门口把手机探进去,拍下那400多根石柱延展出的深邃空间感。
耸立在中庭北侧的宣礼塔大约有32米高,分为三层,每一层都比下层要收窄一点。这是世界上现存最古老的宣礼塔之一。这种笨拙而厚重的方形设计,后来直接影响了摩洛哥甚至西班牙的清真寺风格。塔基部分用的石头特别巨大,有些甚至是直接从古罗马纪念碑上撬下来的整块基石。可惜现在游客一般不被允许登顶,但光是在下面抬头仰望那种黄土色的巨大体量,就能感受到一种原始的宗教力量感。
在中庭的大理石地面上,你会发现好几个像井盖一样的排水口,还有一处倾斜的斜坡。这些其实是极其精密的雨水收集系统,雨水经过地面过滤后,会汇集到地下的蓄水池里。毕竟在半干旱的凯鲁万,水比金子还珍贵。另外别错过中庭里的日晷,那是一根立在白色大理石上的简单小石柱。古人就是靠观察它的影子来确定每天五次祷告的精确时间,即使到了电子钟普及的今天,这个日晷依然在忠实地记录着时间。
这里的宗教氛围比首都突尼斯市要严肃得多。进入大清真寺,男人不能穿过短的短裤,至少要盖过膝盖。女性必须包裹严实,头发不能外露,也不能穿无袖上衣。如果你穿得太清凉也没关系,入口处通常可以租借到一种叫杰拉巴(Djellaba)的当地长袍。说句实在话,那种长袍在烈日下反而更透气遮阳,穿上去拍照也更有当地风情。进门时记得保持安静,哪怕此时不是祷告时间,大声喧哗也会被安保人员礼貌提醒。
参观完大清真寺,一定要去它周围的老城(Medina)转转。凯鲁万最出名的是手工羊毛地毯,当地人常说如果你不在凯鲁万买地毯,那这趟突尼斯就算白来了。在老城的很多地毯店,你可以爬到顶楼的露台,从高处俯瞰大清真寺的俯视图,那个角度是拍摄整座清真寺布局的最佳位置。不过买地毯时砍价是必须的,通常从报价的三分之一开始聊,别怕尴尬,这在当地是一种社交乐趣。
不可以进入。非穆斯林游客只能在开放时间内进入清真寺的露天中庭参观。祈祷大厅的门通常会完全敞开,你可以站在门口向内观看内部的石柱森林和华丽吊灯,但绝对不能跨过门槛踩在地毯上,因为那里被视为圣洁的祈祷区域。
如果只是为了拍照打卡,半小时就足够了。但如果你想仔细观察那些古罗马时期的柱头差异,或者在宣礼塔下感受历史,建议预留一个半小时。加上在周边寻找售票处和参观马格里布最精美日晷的时间,总共两个小时左右会比较充裕。
开放,但时间受限。周五是穆斯林的礼拜日,大清真寺在上午祷告期间是不允许游客参观的。通常周五的开放时间会比平时更早结束,有时候中午12点就会清场。如果你行程比较紧,尽量避开周五,选择周一到周四前往体验会更完整。
清真寺内部没有对游客开放的洗手间或售卖饮用水的地方。凯鲁万联票包含的阿格拉比特蓄水池附近有比较完善的游客中心。建议进入大清真寺前,在老城入口的咖啡馆买好水并解决内急,因为进入清真寺内部后需要保持庄重,不建议边走边喝水。
首推西迪撒哈卜陵墓,那里被称作理发师清真寺,里面满是突尼斯最精美的安达卢西亚风格彩色瓷砖,视觉冲击力不亚于大清真寺。另外,公元9世纪建造的阿格拉比特蓄水池也非常宏大,那是古代工程学的杰作,这些景点都可以凭大清真寺的那张12第纳尔联票进入。
Andrew Clark Fourth most important Islamic site globally after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Respectful dress essential and includes head coverings for the ladies - available at gate. A must see !
Jami Karim Uqba Masjid (Great Mosque of Kairouan), Kairouan, Tunisia : This is one of the oldest masjids, not only in Tunisia but in the entire Islamic world. It is located in a small town called Kairouan, about a couple of hours' drive from Tunis. The original masjid was built in 670 AD by Uqba ibn Nafi, the commander of the Muslim forces during the Al-Rashidun Khalifat and later the Umayyad Khalifat, and the masjid was named after him. The original structure was destroyed, rebuilt, and reconstructed many times; in 836 AD, it was reconstructed once more, and this is the building we see today. The architecture and design of the masjid resemble typical Umayyad-era masjids around the world. This masjid has served as a model for all later masjids in North Africa and is considered one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture and the first Islamic use of the horseshoe arch. A few of us might have heard about this masjid and the city. It is one of the largest Islamic monuments in North Africa, and the locals call it the 4th holiest place in Islam. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, Kairouan was one of the greatest centers of Islamic civilization, and the masjid was both a place of prayer and a center for teaching Islamic sciences as well as for the development of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and botany. The Great Masjid of Kairouan was the hub of knowledge and the meeting point of different scholars from all around the Islamic world. This masjid was like a prestigious university at that time, with a large library containing a significant number of scientific and theological works. It was the most remarkable intellectual and cultural center in North Africa during the 9th,10th, and 11th centuries. Address: Rue Sidi Abdelkader, Kairouan, Tunisia Phone: + 216 76 489 133
Jay Max Kairouan is a historic and old town of Tunisia that holds two of the oldest mosques in the world, from the 8th and 10th century. The city is considered holy because of the two holy places/mosques it holds, attracting thousands of tourists each week. The great mosque (Aqba Mosque) dates from the 8th century and in its huge compound you'll still find a sundial (sun clock) that works even today. The mosque is well-preserved with all its interior decorations, inscriptions and artwork.
Ross Daniels We were first in very early and virtually were by ourselves for 15 minutes. This is also known as Sidi Okba Mosque, after the founder of Kairouan who built the first mosque on this site in AD 670. It is North Africa’s holiest Islamic site and the fourth most sacred city for Isla. The original mosque was completely destroyed, and most of what stands today was built by the Aghlabids in the 9th century. Its minaret is the oldest in the Maghreb, and its magnificent prayer hall has 414 pillars supporting horseshoe arches and multiple Roman columns. You can’t visit Kairouan without visiting the Mosque.
Abu Firas The city of Kairouan is called Rabiato I thalath means the fourth holy city after Mecca, Medina and Al Quds Jerusalem. It has this holy spiritual means for the Muslim leader Uqba bin Nafii who reached to this place and conquered North Africa and spread Islam religion in this region. This mosque is named after him. It's located in the downtown or what they call it Kairouan Medina. An old town with over that 80 mosques and a huge wall to protect the town from invaders. Such a beautiful and amazing architectural design. Had a chance to pray Maghreb and Isha there.