The Kasbah

Kasbahs are fortified castles, a place 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 valley are thick-set, those in the southern oases have a taller, more slender outline. At the four corners are towers crowned with merlons rising above the height of the walls.

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.

The high walls set at a slightly oblique angle give the kasbah a perfectly proportioned outline.