Kairouan inscription - world heritage:
On December 9, 1988, Kairouan was included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites because the city fulfills five of the six criteria; in fact, fulfilling only one criterion is enough to be considered for the category. Only Venice fulfills all six, and very few can, like the city of Kairouan , Florence , and the Great Wall of China , boast of satisfying five. Rome and Cordua fulfill four categories, and Cairo , Tunis , and Paris only three. For more information, click here The five categories regarding the Medina of Kariouan are as follows :
- The Great Mosque of Kairouan is one of the major monuments of Islam, and also a universal masterpiece of architecture. It was the model for several other mosques in the Maghreb , particularly as far as decorative motifs are concerned.
- The Mosque with Three Doors (866) is the oldest mosque in Islam having a sculpted facade.
- Kairouan bears exceptional witness to the civilization of the early centuries of the Hegira of Ifriqiyya.
- Kairouan's traditional Muslim architecture and its spatial configuration, both precious examples of world heritage, have become susceptible to loss because of economical factors and other threats.
- Kairouan is one of Islam's holiest cities and a spiritual capital to Muslims worldwide.
The following is a list of UNESCO's World Heritage sites established by the « Convention concerning the Protection of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage » adopted by the General Conference in 1972 (signed by Tunisia on October 3, 1975) and among which can be counted seven Tunisian sites. They are Carthage ; El Jem; the Medinas of Kairouan, Sousse , and Tunis ; Kerkouane, and Dougga.
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