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Ksar or qṣar (Arabic: قصر, romanized: qṣar), in plural ksour or qsour (Arabic: قصور, romanized: qṣur), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh).[1][2] The equivalent Berber term used is ighrem (singular) or igherman (plural).[1]
Etymology
[edit]The Arabic qaṣr (قصر), frequently pronounced qṣar in the Maghreb, was probably borrowed from the Latin word castrum.[1][3]
Locations
[edit]Ksour or igherman are widespread among the oasis populations of North Africa, found in Tunisia,[4] Algeria,[5] and Libya,[6] and are also found on the Djado Plateau and in the commune of Fachi in Niger.[7][8] They are sometimes situated in mountain locations to make defense easier; they often are entirely within a single, continuous wall.
Architecture
[edit] |
Ksour in the Maghreb typically consist of attached houses, often having a fortified communal granary like those in Algeria, or the ghorfa and agadir types known in Tunisia and Morocco respectively, beside other structures like a mosque, hammam, oven, and shops.
The building material of the entire structure usually is adobe, or cut stone, desert salt and adobe. The idea of the ksar as a granary is a confused notion of two things: the granary itself, found within a ksar, and the ksar, a village, typically with granaries within it. Ksars form one of the main manifestations of Berber architecture.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Van Staëvel, J.-P. (2004). "Ḳaṣr". In Bearman, P. J.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Heinrichs, W. P. (eds.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Volume XII: Supplement. Leiden: E. J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-13974-9.
- ^ Golvin, Lucien (1989). "Architecture berbère". Encyclopédie berbère. 6: 865–877. doi:10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2582. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
- ^ Wehr, Hans; Cowan, J. M. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Third ed.). Ithaca, N.Y.: Spoken Language Services. p. 768.
- ^ Flac, Ser (2026-02-10). "Ksar Ouled Soltane". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ Guessar, Souad; Abdeldjebar, Hadja Mama (2023-10-06). "Preserving the Old Ksar of Beni-Abbes- Algeria". Migration Letters. 20 (S7): . 620–628. doi:10.59670/ml.v20iS7.4423. ISSN 1741-8992.
- ^ Samakie, Abdulmnam. "Ksar Nalut | Archiqoo". archiqoo.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-02. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Mystery of the desert: The lost cities of the Nigerien Sahara". France 24. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Photos: The lost cities of the Nigerien Sahara". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ Binous, Jamila; Baklouti, Naceur; Ben Tanfous, Aziza; Bouteraa, Kadri; Rammah, Mourad; Zouari, Ali (2010). "X.6 Chénini (of Tataouine)". Ifriqiya: Thirteen Centuries of Art and Architecture in Tunisia. Islamic Art in the Mediterranean (2nd ed.). Museum With No Frontiers & Ministry of Culture, the National Institute of Heritage, Tunis. p. 269. ISBN 9783902782199.
External links
[edit]
- www.ksour-tunisiens.com – complete documentation of all ksour of southern Tunisia, Herbert Popp & Abdelfettah Kassah
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