Kasbah

Lore & Background

The term qasaba was historically flexible but essentially denotes a fortress, commonly a citadel that protects a city or settlement area, or that serves as the administrative center. A kasbah citadel typically housed the military garrison and other privileged buildings such as a palace, along with a mosque and a hammam. Some kasbahs are built in a strategic elevated position overlooking the city, like the Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat, Morocco, or the Alcazaba of Málaga in Spain. It could also be a large purpose-built royal quarter, protected by its own set of walls, that housed the palace of the ruler and the administration of the state, as seen in the Kasbah of Marrakesh, founded by the Almohads, and the Kasbah of Tunis, built by the Hafsid dynasty in the 13th century.

Reader's Guide

The kasbah has played a significant role as a defensive and administrative structure across North Africa and Al-Andalus. According to architect Leopoldo Torres Balbás, the Alcazaba of Málaga is the prototype of military architecture in the Taifa period, with its double wall and many fortifications, paralleled only by Krak des Chevaliers in Syria. In Morocco, the term is also used in Amazigh regions to denote a fortified residence (tighremt) built of mudbrick, such as the Kasbah of Telouet. In southern Tunisia, it sometimes applies to fortified granaries (ksour). In the Arabian Peninsula, particularly in Asir province, ancient qasaba towers were used as lookouts or granaries, with some dating from between the 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE. The word also came to describe the old part of a city, as in the Casbah of Algiers, which survived French colonial remodeling. The term's legacy extends into popular culture, notably in the song 'Rock the Casbah' by the Clash.

Did You Know?

• In Fez, there were up to 13 kasbahs built throughout the city in different periods.
• The Casbah of Algiers originally referred to the upper part of the city containing the citadel and residence of the rulers.