Kasbah Mahdiyya (;

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–19 ...

: ⵇⵙⴱⴰ ⵎⴻⵀⴷⵉⵢⴰ) is a

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 ...

located near the city of

Kenitra Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 201 ...

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 to A ...

. It is situated at the downstream of

Sebou River Sebou (Berber: Asif en Sbu, ar, سبو) is a river in northern Morocco. At its source in the Middle Atlas mountains it is known as the Guigou River (Berber: Asif n Gigu). The river is 496 kilometers long and has an average water flow of 137 m3 ...

in the vicinity of the Atlas Mountains, 12km from the city of Kneitra.قصبة المهدية.. قلعة منسية بنواحي القنيطرة
''Maghress''. Retrieved January 27, 2018. The kasbah was built during the era of the Berber

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

Abd al-Mu'min Abd al Mu'min (c. 1094–1163) ( ar, عبد المؤمن بن علي or عبد المومن الــكـومي; full name: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAlwī ibn Yaʿlā al-Kūmī Abū Muḥammad) was a prominent member of the Almohad mov ...

, and restored during the Alaouite period in the 17th century.

Description

The building was established in the strategic location which connects to several area of Morocco.

, which flows to the

Atlantic ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, was an easily navigable river and it flows through the Atlas Mountains and reaches the inland area such as the city of

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

. During the middle age, holding this area was a key for establishing the logistical, military and commercial advantage. As such, the kasbah was heavily contested by many states throughout the history.قصبة المهدية
''Museum with no Frontiers''. Retrieved January 27, 2018. The foundation dates back to the assembly building which was likely built as a part of the harbor in the 10th century. In the 12th century, the Almohad Sultan Abd al-Mu'min established a dock and attached fort in the place, using the high quality woods from the neighboring forest. The rest of the city of

Mehdya Mehdya ( ar-at, المهدية, al-Mahdiyā), also Mehdia or Mehedya, is a town in Kénitra Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco. Previously called al-Ma'mura, it was known as São João da Mamora under 16th century Portuguese occupation, or as ...

remained small but used as a resource center within the trade between Europe until the 16th century. In 1515, the Portuguese captured the area and the fort, but the occupation only lasted for 47 years. In the 17th century, after the place was briefly used as a center for piracy, the local authority had attempted to gain independence, only to be occupied by the Spain. The Spanish constructed a fort on top of the stone which overlooks the mouth of the river. The citadel wall built as a part of the castle had become the basis of the current structure. The area was recovered by the

Alaouite The Alawi dynasty ( ar, سلالة العلويين الفيلاليين, translit=sulālat al-ʿalawiyyīn al-fīlāliyyīn) – also rendered in English as Alaouite, Alawid, or Alawite – is the current Moroccan royal family and reigning d ...

Sultan

Ismail Ibn Sharif Moulay Ismail Ibn Sharif ( ar, مولاي إسماعيل بن الشريف), born around 1645 in Sijilmassa and died on 22 March 1727 at Meknes, was a Sultan of Morocco from 1672–1727, as the second ruler of the Alaouite dynasty. He was the se ...

in 1681, who gave the castle its current name. Sultan Ismail carried out a full scale construction of the kasbah in the ruins of the Spanish fort. He built an establishment for administration (Dar el-Makhzen),

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, barracks,

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, funduq (traditional inn) and stables. The Sultan also restored the broken citadel walls, and demolished the southern part of the wall for the construction of defense towers and moats. He maintained the three towers on the northern side. He also constructed the monumental entrance gate on the shore, which was named as Bab al-Jadid. His detailed construction also extended to the interior, where exist four halls surrounding the

sahn A ''sahn'' ( ar, صَحْن, '), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central ''sahn'', which is surrounded by a '' riwaq'' or arcade on all sides. In traditi ...

adorned by

zellige ''Zellij'' ( ar, الزليج, translit=zillīj; also spelled zillij or zellige) is a style of mosaic tilework made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces. The pieces were typically of different colours and fitted together to form various pa ...

. There exist a garden and hamam as well. It is also known as the location of the

Battle of Port Lyautey The Battle of Port Lyautey began on 8 November 1942 for the city of Port Lyautey, today known as Kenitra, in French Morocco. The battle ended with its capture and occupation by American troops, overrunning French forces after more than two days of ...

during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

References

{{reflist 12th-century establishments in Africa Kasbahs in Morocco Almohad architecture