It was founded in AD670 by a disciple of the Prophet Mohammed and is situated on the spot where a new spring of water and other miraculous revelations were manifested to him during a journey. According to legend, seven visits to Kairouan equal one to Mecca. There are many other mosques and shrines, but the Great Mosque is the most sanctified place. Its prayer room is supported by a variegated 'forest of pillars' of Roman, Byzantine and Arab periods, made of stone, marble or porphyry. After entering by a great arched gateway, one can see marble flooring of a mansion set in a garden fragrant with rosemary.
Mosaics depicting sea fish decorate a waterbasin and the pool of a former fountain.
The remains of several other houses reveal decorated flooring of the Punic, Roman and Byzantine periods, and the Punic tombs contain interesting remains. The theatre, built in AD168 to seat 3500, resounds again when Greek-based classical plays and other performances are staged, sometimes by the Com die Fran aise. However, decorum is restored with a view of the city's capitol, claimed by some to be the grandest in North Africa. South of Tabarka, this site has at least 23 special features from the Roman, early-Christian and Byzantine periods. Some of its best mosaics have been removed to the Bardo Museum in Tunis, but its 'Hunting Palace' has vivid mosaics of wild animals and the chase, and recognisable remnants of a dining room, kitchen and bedrooms.