Ksar

A Ksar (Arabic: قصر, "qaṣr") is a term describing a village consisting of generally attached houses, often having collective granaries and other structures (mosque, bath, oven, shops) widespread among the oasis populations of the Maghreb (northern Africa.) Ksars are sometimes situated in mountain locations to make defense easier; they often are entirely within a single, continuous wall. The building material of the entire structure is normally adobe, or cut stone 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, which is a village, normally with granaries within it.

"Ksar" is an Arabic word, more correctly transliterated as "qsar", singular, and "qsur" (قصور), plural. The Berber (amazigh) equivalent is "aghrem" (singular) or "ighrem" (plural). Ksar is generally translated as "castle" in English, although the simplest rendering might be "fortified village," with the word sometimes taking on the meaning of "fort" depending on its specific function.The word is part of place names across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, — the region called the Maghreb; and is particularly prevalent on the Saharan side of the various ranges of the Atlas Mountains and the valley of the Draa River. A light fruity white wine of this name is made from Clairette Blanc grapes grown in the foothills of the Atlases.

The Spanish terms Alcázar and Portuguese "Alcácer" are derived from this Arabic word, and appear in place names and buildings originating as fortresses.

Places named Ksar

*El Qsar es Seghir, Moroccan stronghold in the Straits of Gibraltar, between Tangier and Ceuta.
*Ksar-el-Kebir, location of the Battle of Al Kasr al Kebir, influenced Moroccan, Portuguese and Spanish history.

External links

* [http://www.geopanorama.de/gpearth/aitbenhaddou.htm Interactive 360° panorama of Ksar Ait Benhaddou (World Heritage) (Java, 0,9 MB)]

* [http://ksar.atomique.net/index.html kSar project homepage]