A prayer in a mosque that has held prayers for 1,300 years

52 countries in and somehow North Africa was still waiting for me.

Tunisia was my first country in the Maghreb and nothing quite prepared me for how it feels to be there. It is not the Middle East. It is not Europe. It is not sub-Saharan Africa. It is an unhurried blend of all three. French architecture on Arabic streets. Mint tea served with the calm of someone who has nowhere else to be. A Muslim country that wears its faith quietly and comfortably, without any performance.

The road trip before the Congress

I came for JCI World Congress. But I have learned that a conference is the best excuse to see a country properly, so we landed early and turned the days before it into a road trip.

Tunis first. Then down to Sousse and Monastir, inland to Kairouan and the Roman amphitheatre at El Jem, then all the way south to Djerba. The timing was tight and a lot of the plan was made in the car. That is usually how the best trips go.

Kairouan

The moment that stayed with me most was Kairouan.

It was the first Muslim city in North Africa, founded in 670 AD from one decision. The story goes that Uqba ibn Nafi stood in the desert, marked the ground and said, this is where the city will be.

One small brave decision. An entire civilization followed.

We arrived at Zuhr time and prayed inside the Great Mosque of Kairouan, a mosque that has been holding prayers for more than 1,300 years. I stood there and kept thinking about time. Before Islam even reached our part of the world, people were learning here. Debating here. Building something that would outlast all of them.

I have prayed in many places across 52 countries. This one felt different. Not louder, not grander. Just older and steadier, like the walls had heard every kind of prayer and were in no hurry about any of them.

Djerba, the one I refused to skip

Djerba was not on the first version of the plan. It was far south and the clock was not on our side. But I had seen photos for years and refused to leave Tunisia without seeing it in person. Some places you just know you cannot skip.

So we drove. And I would do it again.

The Congress

Then it was back to Tunis for what brought me there in the first place. As a JCI APDC Development Officer, I joined the 2025 to 2026 APDC Meeting III with officers from across Asia and the Pacific and spoke at a session during the Congress. Long days, many accents, one shared idea of what young leaders can build.

Sidi Bou Said and Hammamet

We fit Sidi Bou Said in around the Congress days. White walls, blue doors, blue umbrellas and the whole Gulf of Tunis spread out below. I found a seat on a terrace and watched the light turn gold over the water. It is the kind of place that asks you to slow down and I happily did.

On the last day we drove down to Hammamet, where the old medina walls sit right on the rocks and the sea. Back in Tunis that night for the gala.

What I would tell you

• Arrive early. If a conference or event takes you somewhere new, add a few days before it. You will see the country before you are tired from the event.
• Give Kairouan more than a quick stop. Go at prayer time if you can and let it be slow. El Jem is close enough to see the same day.
• Go south. Djerba is worth the long drive.
• Save Sidi Bou Said for golden hour and do not plan anything after it.

Tunisia has a rare quality. It does not try to impress you. It simply exists, beautifully, at its own pace. And somehow that is exactly what made it unforgettable.

Country 52. First of the Maghreb. Will not be the last. See all my Tunisia photos.