Bab Ksiba ( ar, باب القصيبة, ') is a gate in Marrakech,

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. Bab Ksiba and another more famous gate further north,

Bab Agnaou Bab Agnaou (; ; sometimes transliterated as Bab Agnaw) is one of the best-known gates of Marrakesh, Morocco. Its construction is attributed to the Almohad caliph Abu Yusuf Ya'qub al-Mansur and was completed around 1188 or 1190. The gate was the ...

, served as entrances to the royal

Kasbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...

(citadel) in the southern part of the medina of Marrakech, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Historical background

The name Ksiba, (pronounced ''Lak- siba''), in Berber refers to the Kasbah district of the Medina, where this gateway is located. Kasbah means "fortress''"'' and ''ksiba'' (or ''qusayba'') means literally "Little-Fort". The Kasbah of Marrakesh, built by the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

sultan Yaqub al-Mansour, is the site of the El Mansouria Mosque, the El Badi Palace and the

Saadian Tombs The Saadian Tombs (, , ) are a historic royal necropolis in Marrakesh, Morocco, located on the south side of the Kasbah Mosque, inside the royal kasbah (citadel) district of the city. They date to the time of the Saadian dynasty and in particul ...

. Bab Ksiba was the entrance to another small

kasbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...

(''ksiba'' or ''qusayba'') which was adjoined to the southwestern corner of the main kasbah in order to protect the western side of the Grand

Mechouar Mechouar or meshwar (; ; ) is a type of location, typically a courtyard within a palace or a public square at the entrance of a palace, in the Maghreb (western North Africa) or in historic al-Andalus (Muslim Spain and Portugal). It can serve vari ...

(a vast open square, still present today, at the entrance of the royal palace) and the Derb Chtouka neighbourhood. The date of its construction is unclear; it existed at the beginning of the 19th century and may have been built under Muhammad ibn Abdallah in the 18th century, but was almost certainly not part of the original Almohad kasbah.

Notes

References

*Deverdun, Gaston (1959). ''Marrakech: Des origines à 1912''. Rabat: Éditions Techniques Nord-Africaines. *

External links

Image of Bab Ksiba by Maverickhawkesley
{{Marrakesh Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Berber architecture Gates of Marrakesh

Historical background

See also

Notes

References

External links