Aghlabid Basins

On the outskirts of Kairouan lie the great water reservoirs built in the ninth century under the Aghlabid rulers to supply the holy city. The largest is a broad circular basin ringed by buttresses, fed by an aqueduct that carried water from distant hills. These pools stored and settled the supply for a growing capital in a dry land, a feat of early Islamic hydraulic engineering. A viewing terrace overlooks the basins, and their simple geometric form set against the sky makes them a quietly impressive stop on any visit to Kairouan.