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Kasbah

(Redirected fromQasaba)
"Casbah" redirects here. For other uses, seeCasbah (disambiguation).
"Alcazaba" redirects here. For other uses, seeAlcazaba (disambiguation).

Akasbah(/ˈkæzbɑː/,alsoUS:/ˈkɑːz-/;Arabic:قصبة,romanized:qaṣaba,lit. 'fortress',Arabic pronunciation:[qasˤaba],Maghrebi Arabic:[qasˤba]), also spelledqasbah,qasba,qasaba,orcasbah,is afortress,most commonly thecitadelor fortified quarter of a city.[1][2][3][4]It is also equivalent to the termalcazabainSpanish(Spanish:[alkaˈθaβa]), which is derived from the same Arabic word.[5][6]By extension, the term can also refer to amedina quarter,particularly inAlgeria.In various languages, the Arabic word, or local wordsborrowedfrom the Arabic word, can also refer to a settlement, a fort, awatchtower,or ablockhouse.

Kasbah of SfaxinTunisia

Citadel or fortress

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Alcazaba of Málaga:exterior walls (left) and interior palace courtyard (right)

The termqasabawas historically flexible but it essentially denotes a fortress, commonly a citadel that protects a city or settlement area, or that serves as the administrative center.[7]: 228 [8]: 122 [9]: 282 [4]A kasbah citadel typically housed the military garrison and other privileged buildings such as a palace, along with other amenities such as amosqueand ahammam(bathhouse).[8]: 147 [9]: 135 Some kasbahs are built in a strategic elevated position overlooking the city, like theKasbah of the OudayasinRabat,Morocco,or theAlcazaba of MálagainSpain.[9]: 135 [7]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. Examples of this include theKasbah of Marrakeshand the Kasbah ofTunis,both founded by theAlmohads,who built or redeveloped similar palace enclosures in many important cities of their empire.[9]: 141 [10][8]: 195–197 In some cases, kasbahs could be simple fortified enclosures around a city that housed military garrisons, without being the main citadel. InFez,for example, there were up to 13 kasbahs built throughout the city in different periods, including theKasbah an-Nouarand theKasbah Cherarda.[11][12]

According to architect and restorerLeopoldo Torres Balbás,theAlcazaba of Málagais the prototype of military architecture in theTaifa periodinAl-Andalus,with its double wall and many fortifications. Its only parallel is the castle ofKrak des ChevaliersinSyria.[13]Examples of otheralcazabasin Spain include theAlcazaba of Almería,the Alcazaba ofAntequera,theAlcazaba of Badajoz,the Alcazaba ofGuadix,theAlcazaba of Mérida,theCastle of Molina de Aragón,the Alcazaba ofAlcalá la Realand in theAlcazaba of the AlhambrainGranada.

Telouet KasbahinMorocco

In Morocco, the term "kasbah" is also used in predominantlyAmazighregions to denote a fortified residence (tighremtinAmazigh languages), often built ofmudbrick,such as theKasbah of Telouetor theKasbah Amridil.[14][15]In southernTunisia,the term is sometimes applied to a type offortified granaries(also known asksour).[16]

Other uses of the term

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Old city

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The wordkasbahmay also be used to describe the old part of a city, in which case it has the same meaning as amedina quarter.InAlgiers,the nameqasabaoriginally referred to the upper part of the city which contained the citadel and residence of the rulers.[17]Following theFrench conquest of the countryin 1830, most of the historic lower town of Algiers was demolished and remodeled alongEuropeanlines. The only part of the old city that remained relatively untouched was the upper town, thus known as the"Casbah" of Algiers.[17][9]: 237 TheCasbah of Dellysis another example of the term being used for an old city.

Watchtowers in the Arabian Peninsula

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Kasbah watchtower in theHejazicity ofAl Baha,Saudi Arabia

TheEncyclopædia Britannicaarticle onAsir(southwestern province of Saudi Arabia), mentions that "ancientqasaba( "towers" ) found in the province were used aslookoutsorgranaries."[18]Another book describes these towers as follows: "Apparently unique to Asir architecture are the qasaba towers. Controversy surrounds their function – some argue that they were built as lookouts, and others that they werekeeps,or even granaries. Perhaps it is a combination, although the right position of awatchtower,on a hill top, is the wrong place for a keep orgranary."[19]Archaeologists have found images of similar towers in the ruins ofQaryat al-Fāw,in theRub' al Khaliof Saudi Arabia, that date from between the 3rd century BCE to the 4th century CE. "Homes rose two stories, supported by stone walls nearly two meters (6') thick and boasting such amenities as water-supply systems and second-floor latrines. One eye-catching mural faintly depicts a multi-story tower house with figures in the windows: Its design resembles similar dwellings today inYemenand southernSaudi Arabia."[20]

"Most of the qasabas have a circular plan, although some are square. Sometimes they have a band ofquartzstones just below the windows or framing the windows – one well preserved example is at the top of Wadi Ain. The remains of amartello tower-like stone structure are just off the dirt track north of Al-Masnah. It appears to be an interesting antecedent of theAsirfarmhouse and perhaps closely related to the qasaba. It is in ruins now, but was once a dwelling and is strongly defensive. "[19]One account says about a traditional village in Al-Bahah, Saudi Arabia: "Even the road that leads to the village is impressive, and several historical stone and slate towers dot the way. Al-Bahah Province is known as the region of 1001 towers, once built to protect villages, roads and plantations from rivalling tribes. Today, these towers are abandoned, and many of them are partially or completely in ruins."[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Petersen, Andrew (1996). "qasaba".Dictionary of Islamic architecture.Routledge. p. 236.ISBN9781134613663.Central part of a town or citadel.
  2. ^Bloom, Jonathan M. (2020)."Glossary".Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800.Yale University Press. p. 282.ISBN9780300218701.qaṣba:alsoqaṣaba,casbah, kasba(h); fortress
  3. ^Barnaby Rogerson(2000):Marrakesh, Fez, Rabat,p. 65: "as its purpose, for a kasbah should be the domain of a ruler, be he sultan, governor or just a tribal chieftain. Most of the ancient cities of Morocco retain a large portion of their outer walls, but the kasbah (the government citadel containing [...]"
  4. ^abBarrucand, Marianne; Bednorz, Achim (1992).Moorish architecture in Andalusia.Taschen. pp. 226, 228.ISBN3822896322.Sing. burdj, hisn, qal'a, qulay'a, qarya, qasaba. These Arabic terms for the highly varied forms of fortified settlement with or without an administrative centre can be found in Spanish placenames even now, most frequently al-qal'a and its diminutive alqual'aya: Alcala de Henares, Alcala la Real, Calahorra, Alcolea del Cinca. (...) Alcazaba: Spanish, from the Arabical-quasaba[sic], fortress, fortified, fortified town, also administrative centre.
  5. ^Zozaya, Juan (1992). "The Fortifications of Al-Andalus". In Dodds, Jerrilynn D. (ed.).Al-Andalus: The Art of Islamic Spain.New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 63–74.ISBN0870996371.
  6. ^M. Bloom, Jonathan; S. Blair, Sheila, eds. (2009). "Military architecture and fortification".The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780195309911.
  7. ^abBarrucand, Marianne; Bednorz, Achim (1992).Moorish architecture in Andalusia.Taschen.ISBN3822896322.
  8. ^abcArnold, Felix (2017).Islamic Palace Architecture in the Western Mediterranean: A History.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780190624552.
  9. ^abcdeBloom, Jonathan M. (2020).Architecture of the Islamic West: North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula, 700–1800.Yale University Press.ISBN9780300218701.
  10. ^Binous, Jamila; Baklouti, Naceur; Ben Tanfous, Aziza; Bouteraa, Kadri; Rammah, Mourad; Zouari, Ali (2002).Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia(2nd ed.). Museum With No Frontiers, MWNF.ISBN9783902782199.
  11. ^Le Tourneau, Roger (1949).Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman.Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition.
  12. ^"نفائس فاس العتيقة: بناء 13 قصبة لأغراض عسكرية | جريدة الصباح".assabah.ma(in Arabic). 2014-07-24.Retrieved2022-02-16.
  13. ^Dialnet.es, Fanny de Carranza Sell,La alcazaba de Málaga. Historia a través de su imagen,2011.(In Spanish)
  14. ^Ingeborg Lehmann, Rita Henss (2012):Morocco Baedeker Guide,p. 214: "KASBAH A mud-brick castle that serves as a residence for the local Berber tribe is called a kasbah or »tighremt« in Morocco. Some are private mansions, others are even whole fortified villages with many large and small buildings crowded on [...]"
  15. ^Naji, Salima (2009).Art et Architectures berbères du Maroc.Editions la Croisée des Chemins.ISBN9782352700579.
  16. ^Golvin, L. (1989-01-01)."Architecture berbère".Encyclopédie berbère(in French) (6): 865–877.doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2582.ISSN1015-7344.
  17. ^abHoexter, Miriam; Shuval, Tal. "Algiers". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.).Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three.Brill.ISSN1873-9830.
  18. ^The New Encyclopædia Britannica(1998): "Asir". 15th ed., vol. 1, "Micropedia", p. 635.
  19. ^abMostyn, Trevor (1983):Saudi Arabia: A MEED Practical Guide.London: Middle East Economic Digest, 2nd ed., p. 320.
  20. ^Covington, Richard (2011): "Roads of Arabia".Saudi Aramco World,March/April 2011, pp. 24–35.
  21. ^"Marble Village of Dhee Ayn".
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