Kairouan

Kairouan or Kairwan (UK: KYRE(-uu)-WAHN, US: kair-WAHN), also spelled El Qayrawān (Arabic: ٱلْقَيْرَوَان, romanized: al-Qayrawān, pronounced [æl qɑjrɑˈwæːn]; Tunisian Arabic: قيروان, romanized: Qiyrwān, pronounced [qɪrˈwɛːn] ), is the capital of the Kairouan Governorate in Tunisia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city was founded by the Umayyads around 670, in the period of Caliph Mu'awiya (reigned 661–680); this is when it became an important centre for Sunni Islamic scholarship and Quranic learning, attracting Muslims from various parts of the world. The Mosque of Uqba is situated in the city.