Yazid ibn Hatim al-Muhallabi

Yazid ibn Hatim belonged to the legendary aristocratic Muhallabid family of Basra. Appointed governor of Ifriqiya by Caliph al-Mansur in 772 AD to suppress Kharijite rebellions, Yazid entered Kairouan and established an era of prolonged civil peace and extraordinary cultural flowering.

Celebrated for legendary generosity—poets traveled thousands of miles across the Sahara to praise his philanthropy—Yazid completely demolished and reconstructed the Great Mosque of Kairouan in 774 AD (with the exception of the mihrab). He also laid out the organized specialized artisan souks and paved streets of Kairouan, transforming it into the premier metropolis of the western Islamic world.