The British Royal Family loyal to Kairouan
After the visit to Kairouan in the 1960s by Queen Mother Elizabeth, the current Queen of Great Britain, Elizabeth II, visited the capital of the Aghlabids regarding ten years ago. And now, on March 25, 1990, it was Prince Charles’ turn to visit the holy city. Thus, at the beginning of the followingnoon in March, a blue and clear sky spread over Kairouan and the background of the air was pink. Prince Charles, accompanied by the British Ambassador, was relaxed, smiling and very warm. While visiting the Great Okba Mosque, he was immediately attracted by the Aghlabid cachet of the 9the century, by the symphony of columns and capitals of different styles, by the majesty of the minaret and by the bas-reliefs of arabesque and calligraphy. Moreover, His Highness discovered this most beautiful monument of the Muslim world, place by place, he lived it instead of looking at it as a spectator. Thus, faced with this sober and imposing architecture, the three sundials and the galleries that surround the courtyard of the mosque, Prince Charles felt happy and found great pleasure in drawing these ancient architectural elements and these masterpieces. artistic work. Before leaving us, he did not fail to tell us: “I will certainly come back to Kairouan one day or another… I really appreciated the great mosque!”, to which we replied: “We would like although you are accompanied by Lady Diana who will also discover the beauty of the monuments of Kairouan…”.
(Article published in La Presse de Tunisie, 03-28-1990)
