Kairouan, Tunisia · UTC+1 ☆

Kairouan is one of the holiest cities in Islam, founded in 670 CE by Arab conquerors as a base for the Islamic expansion across North Africa. It runs on Central European Time, UTC+1, year-round. Tunisia permanently abolished daylight saving in 2009.

At UTC+1 and 35.7 degrees North latitude, Kairouan’s solar noon falls at about 12:20pm in winter, slightly later in summer as the sun shifts. The fixed UTC+1 offset means no disruption to the five daily prayer times, which the Ministry of Religious Affairs calculates and publishes monthly.

The Great Mosque and Islamic time

The Great Mosque of Kairouan (Mosque of Uqba), founded in 670 CE, is one of the oldest and most important mosques in the world. The mosque’s minaret has called the city to prayer for over a millennium. Prayer times here are set by solar calculation and announced in UTC+1.

Kairouan is considered the fourth holiest city in Sunni Islam, after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. Pilgrimage to Kairouan has historically been encouraged as an act of piety for North African Muslims.

The carpet industry and seasonal markets

Kairouan is famous for its carpets and is the center of Tunisia’s carpet-weaving industry. The carpet market operates on traditional market day schedules, connecting weavers from the surrounding region with merchants from Tunis and beyond.

Convert 9am Kairouan time to other cities.

Sources

• IANA Time Zone Database
• Institut National de la Statistique Tunisie
• Bloom, Jonathan, and Sheila Blair. The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture. Oxford University Press, 2009.