Sidi Amor Abada Museum

Sidi Amor Abada Museum – Housed in a zaouia-mausoleum built in 1872, this museum contains the tomb of an extraordinary character: Amor Abada, better known as Sidi Abada. A master blacksmith by profession, this 19th-century marabout was both venerated and feared for his supernatural powers.

The building, covering over 1,500 m², stands out with its impressive set of seven domes on ribbed squinches – a typically Kairouan style, rarely used in such numbers. Inside, massive walls up to five meters thick conceal a maze of galleries and rooms. The Andalusian architectural style is enhanced by decorative motifs of fleurons and crescents.

The extraordinary objects of Sidi Amor Abada Museum

The main room, which houses the marabout’s tomb, has been converted into a museum displaying works that belonged to Sidi Abada or were made by him. These include giant anchors, oversized sabers with solid wood scabbards, enormous chests, and a colossal pipe – all deliberately disproportionate and barely functional. Some pieces bear inscriptions in cursive writing, recounting episodes of his enigmatic life.

Sidi Amor Abada was driven by a mystical impulse, disturbed by the decay of his country on the eve of the French colonial expedition. He expressed his anxieties through extravagant creations. His most famous legend tells of two cannons he sent to the Bey of Tunis, destined for Sebastopol – their arrival supposedly coinciding with the city’s fall in 1855. This miracle cemented his status as a revered saint, whose memory still marks the life of Kairouan today.