Mosque Karaouiyne Founded in 857 in the district of refugees Kairouan, then enlarged in the twelfth sovereign Almoravid Ali Ben Youssef Mosque Karaouine Formerly home to twenty thousand faithful. It became, therefore, one of the largest mosques in the Maghreb. Renowned … university, it is also the oldest center for religious education. From the entrance, tourists non-Muslims can see the large courtyard and two kiosks with marble columns reminiscent of the Court of Lions Alhambra Palace in Granada.