News Excerpt:
Tunisia's historic Kairouan walls collapse.

About Kairouan walls:

• Founded in 670, Kairouan flourished under the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century. Despite the transfer of the political capital to Tunis in the 12th century, Kairouan remained the Maghreb's principal holy city. 
• It served as the capital of the Muslim world in North Africa for four centuries until Tunis became Tunisia’s political capital in the 12th century. 
• Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
• Its rich architectural heritage includes the Great Mosque, with its marble and porphyry columns, and the 9th-century Mosque of the Three Gates, distinguished as the oldest known mosque with a sculpted facade.

About Tunisia: 

• In 1956, the Republic of Tunisia claimed independence from France. 
• Tunisia is a small Arab country in North Africa, with the capital Tunis.
• It represents both the aspirations of freedom and struggles against terrorism that roil the region. 
• Along with neighbours Algeria and Libya, it lines the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, a strategic location that has attracted Romans, Arabs, Ottoman Turks and others over the years.