The Zitouna Mosque, founded in 732 CE, is the spiritual and geographic heart of the Tunis medina. It is the oldest mosque in the city and one of the oldest in North Africa, with its courtyard surrounded by 184 columns taken from earlier Roman buildings — you can see the variety of capitals if you look carefully, evidence of centuries of recycling. The minaret dates from the 9th century.
Non-Muslims may enter the outer courtyard but not the prayer hall. The views from the surrounding rooftop terraces — accessible through souvenir shops and cafés on the upper floors of medina buildings — give an excellent view down into the mosque's courtyard and across the medina roofscape. Access the terraces from the lanes above Souk el Attarine, the perfume souk.