place · L0203
Kairouan קירואן
North African city whose Jewish community was the great western correspondent of the Babylonian geonim — the questions of Kairouan prompted the Iggeret of Rav Sherira Gaon — and, under Rabbeinu Chananel and Rabbeinu Nissim, an early hub of post-geonic Torah in the West.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- קירואן
- Also known as
- Qayrawan
III. Where
- Modern location
- Kairouan, Tunisia
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Iggeret of Rav Sherira Gaon opens by quoting the questions sent from Kairouan about how the Mishnah and Talmud were written — direct evidence of the community's living correspondence with the Babylonian academies. | tradition | ★★★★★ | |
| Kairouan was a major early-medieval Islamic and commercial center, founded in 670 CE, whose Jewish community flourished until the mid 11th century. | external | ★★★★☆ |
Referenced by: Chushiel ben Elchanan, Yaakov ben Nissim ibn Shahin, Rabbeinu Chananel, Rabbeinu Nissim ben Yaakov, The Rif