Name of the municipality: Kairouan
Population: 180,000 inhabitants (January 2020)
Area: 1600 km2
President: Mr. Radouane Bouden
Contact: M. Amara Sahbi: amarasahbi102@gmail.com;
Website: https://www.commune-kairouan.gov.tn/
Main features:
Kairouan is a Tunisian municipality separated by about sixty kilometers from the Mediterranean coast.
It is best known for its long and rich history. Founded in the year 671, it was the capital of the Aghlabids who ruled in the 9th century, and subsequently the hub of Islamic conquests throughout the Maghreb. Kairouan is considered the fourth most holy city in Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Today it is recognized and classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO, for its historical ruins: Great mosque, basin of Aghlabids, the ramparts, the medina, the mausoleum, the Mosque of the Barber, the Mosque of the Three Gates, etc.
Key Economic Activities:
The Kairouan territory holds several natural resources such as gypsum, silica sand, clay and marble. The region’s industry is essentially based on the exploitation of its quarries. The textile and automotive industries come to complement the industrial fabric.
With more than 340,000 hectares of arable land, the Kairouan region is one of Tunisia’s major agricultural areas. This sector employs 30% of the region’s working population and, thanks to its significant water resources, 13% of the country’s irrigated land.
Tourist infrastructure is still limited, there are only 11 hotels in the city and the number of tourists has tended to fall in recent years. With an ambitious and smart infrastructure policy in relation to the city’s tourist assets, the city will be able to prosper and regain the place it should always have had. Rightly, Kairouan, as a center of tourist attraction, could develop on the themes of ecotourism, terroir, handicrafts, history and more generally sustainable development.
Conditions and Environmental Challenges:
From an energy-climate point of view, the city has significant levels of air pollution due to its dense road network (more than 700 km of roads). On the other hand, the public energy bill is particularly high due to inefficient infrastructure (public lighting, energy-intensive municipal buildings, etc.).