The old city of Kairouan, which was founded in the seventh century AD, consists of adjacent dwellings and narrow streets and is surrounded by a wall extending for more than three kilometers, according to UNESCO.
Civil Defense spokesman Moez Tariaa told Agence France-Presse, “A team was carrying out restoration work, and the fall of the wall caused the death of three people and the injury of two,” explaining that the accident “may be related to the heavy rains that occurred in the past few days.”
Triaa indicated that the Tunisian authorities have opened an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
According to Tariaa, a section of the wall “extending 30 meters and six meters high” collapsed near the Executioners’ Gate, causing the death of the three workers, while the other two suffered fractures and were taken to the hospital.
Civil Protection removed the rubble at the foot of the wall and set up a cordon to prevent pedestrians from passing under a part of it that is still at risk of collapsing, according to the spokesman.
Kairouan was an African capital for five centuries during the era of the Aghlabid state, and is known until now as the Aghlabid capital. UNESCO describes it as “a unique testimony to the first centuries of Arab-Islamic civilization” and its architectural and urban development.
The UNESCO-listed site includes the Old City and its environs, which include the Uqba ibn Nafi Mosque (9th century), the Ibn Khayrun Mosque (the Three Gates), the Aghlabid Fountain (open-air cisterns dating from the 9th century), and the Zaouia of Sidi al-Sahbi (the mausoleum of Abu Zamaa al-Balawi).
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2023-12-16 21:39:35
