Kairouan   The holy city of Kairouan is the most important Islamic site in all North Africa. It was chosen in 670 by Okba ibn Nafi to be the base for the Arab conquest of the Magreb, where he vowed to build a citadel of Islam for all time. During the 9th century, Tunisia's "Golden Age", the Aghlabib dynasty made Kairouan the capital of the entire Maghreb. The city evolved into one of the great commercial, religious and intellectual centers of Islam, but it was sacked by the Beni Hilal in 1057. Also worth a visit are the Aghlabid Pools, immense circular cisterns, filled with limpid water, built by the Aghlabid governors : they are fed
by a 35 km aqueduct.