Located some 50 km from Tunis, the narrow and steep streets of the city of Zaghouan stretch along the slopes of the 1,295-meters high Mount Zaghouan. Formerly called Ziqua, Zaghouan is believed to have been a Libyque colony well before being conquered by the Phoenicians. In Roman times, Ziqua provided Carthago with water. In Ziqua a long aqueduct started and covered around 130 kilometers carrying fresh water to the capital. As for the Roman presence, it is also attested by the Triumphal arch. The mausoleum of Sidi Ali Azouz, the patron of the town, is a building with a beautiful dome and tiled walls that marks the center of the town.
Nowadays it is possible to perceive the great influence of the Andalusi Moorish atmosphere in the streets of Zaghouan, because of the great number of Moorish from the Iberian Peninsula that took refuge in this city in the 17th century.
The city is famous for its springs, not in vain the better known attraction is the “Water Temple”.
