Barbary Coast
North African littoral
Barbary Coast refers historically to the North African coastline from Morocco to Libya, named for the Berber peoples.
From the 16th to 19th centuries, it was notorious for piracy and slave raids conducted by Barbary corsairs.
The term later named San Francisco's rowdy waterfront district in the late 1800s, known for gambling, prostitution, and crime: The Barbary Coast was no place for respectable folk.
Continent's Mediterranean coastal region
- MaghrebNorthwest African region
- MoroccoNorthwest African kingdom
- AlgeriaMaghreb nation, largest African
- TunisiaNorth African republic
Libya · Atlas Mountains · Sahara · Algiers · Tunis · Tripoli · Marrakesh · Casablanca
Seafaring plunderers
- privateersLicensed wartime ship raiders
- galleysOar-powered ancient warships
- brigantineTwo-masted mixed-rig vessel
- plunderGoods seized violently
raids · captives · ransom · tribute · hostage · maritime · seafaring · naval
Zone of sex commerce
- Gold RushHistoric prospector migration
- saloonsPublic drinking houses
- shanghaiingKidnapping into naval service
- crimpsPinches into waves
vice · brothels · dance halls · vigilantes · waterfront · Dashiell Hammett
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- opulentOstentatiously wealthy
- bazaarOpen-air merchant district
caravans · spices · silks · incense · henna · hookah · arabesque · minaret
Turkish sultanate, 1299-1922
- 16th centuryThe 1500s
- 17th centuryYears 1601-1700
- 18th centuryYears 1701-1800
- pashaOttoman high official
North Africa
Continent's Mediterranean coastal region
- MaghrebNorthwest African region
- MoroccoNorthwest African kingdom
- AlgeriaMaghreb nation, largest African
Tunisia · Libya · Atlas Mountains · Sahara · Algiers · Tunis · Tripoli · Marrakesh · Casablanca · Berbers
corsairs
Seafaring plunderers
- privateersLicensed wartime ship raiders
- galleysOar-powered ancient warships
- brigantineTwo-masted mixed-rig vessel
plunder · raids · captives · ransom · tribute · hostage · maritime · seafaring · naval · infamy
red-light district
Zone of sex commerce
- Gold RushHistoric prospector migration
- saloonsPublic drinking houses
- shanghaiingKidnapping into naval service
crimps · vice · brothels · dance halls · vigilantes · waterfront · Dashiell Hammett
exotic
Strikingly unusual, foreign-seeming
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
- allureAttractive, tempting quality
- opulentOstentatiously wealthy
bazaar · caravans · spices · silks · incense · henna · hookah · arabesque · minaret · kasbah
Ottoman Empire
Turkish sultanate, 1299-1922
- 16th centuryThe 1500s
- 17th centuryYears 1601-1700
- 18th centuryYears 1701-1800
pasha · bey · slave trade · regencies · naval blockade
coast, coastal, barbaric, coaster, barbarian, coastline, coasting, Barbary corsairs, barbarous