kasbah
Walled North African
Kasbah (also casbah or qasbah) is the citadel or fortified quarter of a North African city, typically featuring narrow winding streets, traditional architecture, and dense residential areas.
The term comes from Arabic and originally designated a fortress or the walled old section of a town.
In Western pop culture, kasbah gained wider recognition through The Clash's 1982 song "Rock the Casbah," though the spelling and meaning there are somewhat abstracted from the original sense.
Narrow urban passages
- soukTraditional Arab market
- narrow streetsConstricted urban thoroughfares
- labyrinthineExtremely complex and winding
- merchantsThose who conduct commerce
bazaar · winding · old city · market · quarters · gates · maze-like · crowded
Fortified urban stronghold
- strongholdFortified place of defense
- rampartFortified defensive wall
- bastionFortified defensive position
- fortificationStrengthening defenses or nutrients
battlements · garrison · watchtower · walls · gate · keep · turret · parapet
Enclosed open-air space
- tileworkDecorative ceramic surfaces
- stuccoDecorative wall plaster
- fountainWater-spouting structure
- archesWeight-bearing curved spans
ornate · tower · rooftop · geometric patterns · arabesque · mosaic · craftsmanship · doorway
Moroccan imperial city
- Atlas MountainsNorthwest African mountain system
- BerberNorth African ethnic group
- SaharaLargest hot desert
- tagineEarthenware pot and stew
mint tea · djellaba · desert · oasis · caravan route
Very old indeed
- ruinsDecayed structural remains
- UNESCOCultural arm of UN
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
restoration · crumbling · dynasty · sultan · pasha · trade route · silk road · antiquity
alleyways
Narrow urban passages
- soukTraditional Arab market
- narrow streetsConstricted urban thoroughfares
- labyrinthineExtremely complex and winding
merchants · bazaar · winding · old city · market · quarters · gates · maze-like · crowded · vendors
citadel
Fortified urban stronghold
- strongholdFortified place of defense
- rampartFortified defensive wall
- bastionFortified defensive position
fortification · battlements · garrison · watchtower · walls · gate · keep · turret · parapet · defensive
courtyard
Enclosed open-air space
arches · ornate · tower · rooftop · geometric patterns · arabesque · mosaic · craftsmanship · doorway · cedar wood
Marrakech
Moroccan imperial city
- Atlas MountainsNorthwest African mountain system
- BerberNorth African ethnic group
- SaharaLargest hot desert
tagine · mint tea · djellaba · desert · oasis · caravan route
ancient
Very old indeed
preservation · restoration · crumbling · dynasty · sultan · pasha · trade route · silk road · antiquity · legacy
- fortificationsfort, fortress, fortresses, citadel, citadels
- fortressesfortress, citadel, stronghold, fort, keep
- North AfricaMorocco, Algeria, Marrakech, Tripoli, Tunis
- desert settlementsdesert town, desert village, desert city, desert outpost, pueblo
- earthen structuresadobe, cob, rammed earth, mudbrick, earthen wall
- MaghrebAlgeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Maghreb
kasbahpublic square
Open urban gathering place
agora · piazza · town square · esplanade · forum
kasbahshantytown
Poor area of crude shelters
suburban sprawl · planned development · new town · planned community