Kasbah facts for kids
A kasbah (pronounced KAZ-bah) is a type of fortress. It is usually the main fort or a special fortified part of a city. The word comes from an Arabic word meaning "fortress."
In Spanish, a similar word is alcazaba. This also comes from the same Arabic word. Sometimes, "kasbah" can also mean an old, walled part of a city, especially in Algeria. In different languages, the word "kasbah" can mean a settlement, a fort, a watchtower, or a small fortified building.
Contents
What is a Kasbah Citadel?
.jpg)
A kasbah is mainly a fortress. It often acts as a citadel, which is a strong fort that protects a city or town. It can also be the main office area for a ruler.
A kasbah citadel usually had homes for soldiers and important buildings like a palace. It might also have a mosque (a place of worship) and a hammam (a public bathhouse).
Many kasbahs were built in high places to watch over the city. Good examples include the Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat, Morocco, and the Alcazaba of Málaga in Spain.
Some kasbahs were large royal areas with their own walls. These housed the ruler's palace and the government offices. The Kasbah of Marrakesh and the Kasbah of Tunis are examples. They were built by the Almohads, who created similar palace areas in many of their cities.
Sometimes, kasbahs were just fortified walls around a city for soldiers. In Fez, for instance, there were many kasbahs built over time. These included the Kasbah an-Nouar and the Kasbah Cherarda.
The Alcazaba of Málaga is a great example of military buildings from the Taifa period in Al-Andalus (parts of Spain ruled by Muslims). It has strong double walls and many defenses. Other famous alcazabas in Spain include the Alcazaba of Almería and the Alcazaba of the Alhambra in Granada.
In Morocco, "kasbah" can also mean a fortified house. These are often made of mudbrick, like the Kasbah of Telouet. In southern Tunisia, the word is sometimes used for fortified granaries, which are also called ksour.
Other Meanings of Kasbah
The Old Part of a City
The word kasbah can also describe the old section of a city. In this case, it means the same as a medina quarter. In Algiers, the name qasaba first referred to the higher part of the city where the fort and ruler's home were.
After the French took over Algeria in 1830, much of the old lower city of Algiers was torn down. It was rebuilt to look more like European cities. Only the upper part of the old city stayed mostly the same. This is why it became known as the "Casbah" of Algiers. The Casbah of Dellys is another example of an old city area called a kasbah.
Watchtowers in the Arabian Peninsula
In some parts of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, qasaba can mean a single stone tower. These towers might be part of a larger house or stand alone on a hilltop. They were used as lookouts or for storing grain.
Archaeologists have found pictures of similar towers in old ruins in Saudi Arabia. These date back thousands of years. They show multi-story tower houses that look like homes still found in Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia today.
Many of these old kasbah towers are round, but some are square. They were built to protect villages, roads, and farms from other tribes. Today, many of these towers are empty and in ruins.
See also
In Spanish: Qasba para niños
- Ribat
- Rock the Casbah – a popular song from 1982 by The Clash that mentions the word "Casbah."
Images for kids
