Page 272 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Morocco

270  MOROC C O REGION BY REGION

The Kasbah

Kasbahs (tighremt in Berber) have long fulfilled the role
of fortified castles, being places of refuge from attack for
people and animals, and affording protection from the
cold and other threats to safety. A lordly residence or
family dwelling, the kasbah is an imposing edifice built to
a square plan. While kasbahs in the mountain valleys are Fortified Citadels
thick-set, those in the southern oases have a taller, more High walls set at a slightly oblique
slender outline. At the four corners are towers crowned angle give the kasbah a perfectly
with merlons rising above the height of the walls. proportioned outline.

Stepped merlons

Bricks are made from earth mixed with
water, sometimes with chopped straw
added. They are pressed into wooden
moulds and dried in the sun.
A Typical Kasbah
Their dimensions being dictated by the size
of the horizontally placed beams, the rooms
are often longer than they are wide. The
largest room is the reception hall, which
often has a painted ceiling and which is
reserved for men. The stable and sheepfold
are located on the ground floor.

Water Jar
Ancient pieces of
pottery like this one
can be seen in
restored kasbahs.

Windows
Mashrabiyya screens and
wrought-iron grilles, made
with no soldering, allow
the inhabitants to look out
without being seen.

270-271_EW_Morocco.indd 270 09/08/16 11:20 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Feature template “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1.3)
Date 18th October 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm