Kairouan - Mosque of the Sabres

(Local Name: Zaouia of Sidi Amor Abbada) Going south along Avenue Zama el Balaoui in Kairouan, turning left into Rue Sidi Gaid and in 150m/165yds taking a street on the right, we reach the Zaouia of Sidi Amor Abbada or Mosque of the Sabres (1860), the tomb of a local smith who is revered as a holy man. With its five ribbed domes, the zaouia is one of the principal pilgrim shrines in Kairouan. Round the tomb are examples of the craftsman's skill - sabres, stirrups, anchors, chests - together with his tobacco-pipe and wooden tablets inscribed with his prophecies.