Ksar

Type of fortified village in North Africa

For the town and commune in Mauritania, see Ksar, Mauritania. For the racehorse, see Ksar (horse).

"Qsar" redirects here. For the QSAR models, see Quantitative structure–activity relationship.

For the television and radio stations that used the callsign KSAR from 1953 to 1972, see Ryukyu Broadcasting Corporation.

Ksar Aït Benhaddou, Morocco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987

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

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The Arabic qaṣr (قَصَر) was probably borrowed from the Latin word castrum.[3][1]

## Architecture

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Ruins of the ksar at Timimoun, Algeria Ksar Chenini, an abandoned ksar in southern Tunisia[4]

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. Ksur or igherman are widespread among the oasis populations of North 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 usually is 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, a village, typically with granaries within it. Ksars form one of the main manifestations of Berber architecture.

## See also

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* Alcázar
* List of ksour in Tunisia
* Ribat
* Maghreb place name etymology

## References

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1. ^ 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.
2. ^ Golvin, Lucien (1989). "Architecture berbère". Encyclopédie berbère. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
3. ^ Wehr, Hans; Cowan, J. M. A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic (Third ed.). Ithaca, N.Y.: Spoken Language Services. p. 768.
4. ^ 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

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ksour.

* www.ksour-tunisiens.com – complete documentation of all ksour of southern Tunisia, Herbert Popp & Abdelfettah Kassah

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Fortifications

Ancient|

* Abatis
* Acropolis
* Agger
* Broch
* Burgus
* Caltrop
* Castellum
* Castra
* Castros
* Chengqiang
* Circular rampart
* City gate
* Crannog
* Ditch
* Defensive wall
* Dun
* Faussebraye
* Gatehouse
* Gord
* Hillfort
* Landwehr
* Limes
* Nuraghe
* Oppidum
* Palisade
* Pincer gate
* Promontory fort
* Rampart
* Ringfort (Rath)
* Refuge castle
* Schwedenschanze
* Stockade
* Sudis
* Trou de loup
* Vallum
* Wagon fort (Laager)
* Vitrified fort

Post-classical|

* Advanced work
* Albarrana tower
* Alcazaba
* Alcázar
* Amba
* Arrowslit
* Barbican
* Bartizan
* Bastion
* Battery tower
* Battlement
* Bawn
* Bent entrance
* Bergfried
* Berm
* Boom
* Bretèche
* Bridge castle
* Bridge tower
* Burh
* Butter-churn tower
* Caer
* Castle
* Chamber gate
* Chartaque
* Chashi
* Chemin de ronde
* Chemise
* Cheval de frise
* Citadel
* Coercion castle
* Concentric castle
* Corner tower
* Counter-castle
* Curtain
* Drawbridge
* Enceinte
* Embrasure
* Flanking tower
* Fortified buildings (church, house, Dzong)
* Fujian tulou
* Ganerbenburg
* Gate tower
* Gabion
* Glacis
* Guard tower
* Gulyay-gorod
* Gusuku
* Half tower
* Hoarding
* Inner bailey
* Kasbah
* Keep
* Kremlin (Detinets)
* Ksar
* Landesburg
* Loophole
* L-plan castle
* Machicolation
* Merlon
* Moat
* Motte-and-bailey
* Murder hole
* Neck ditch
* Outer bailey
* Outwork
* Parapet
* Peel tower
* Portcullis
* Postern
* Powder tower
* Qalat
* Reduit
* Ribat
* Ricetto
* Ringwork
* Roundel
* Quadrangular castle
* Shell keep
* Shield wall
* Shiro
* Toll castle
* Tower castle
* Tower house
* Turret
* Viking ring fortress
* Wall tower
* Bailey (or ward)
* Watchtower
* Witch tower
* Yagura
* Yett
* Zwinger

Modern|

| Early modern|

* Abwurfdach
* Arsenal
* Barricade
* Bastion
* Blockhouse
* Breastwork
* Canal
* Caponier
* Casemate
* Cavalier
* Counterguard
* Couvreface
* Coupure
* Covertway
* Crownwork
* Device Forts
* Entrenchment
* Flèche
* Gorge
* Gunpowder magazine
* Hornwork
* Kotta mara
* Lunette
* Magazine
* Orillon
* Ostrog
* Palanka
* Place-of-arms
* Polygonal fort
* Presidio (Spanish America)
* Punji sticks
* Ravelin
* Redan
* Redoubt
* Retrenchment
* Sally port
* Sandbag
* Scarp and Counterscarp
* Sconce
* Schanze
* Sea fort
* Station
* Star fort
* Tenaille

|

19th century|

* Barbed wire
* Barbette
* Border outpost
* Bunker
* Coastal artillery
* Disappearing gun
* Fire control tower
* Gun turret
* Land mine
* Martello tower
* Outpost
* Polygonal fort
* Sangar
* Wire obstacles

20th century|

* Admiralty scaffolding
* Air raid shelter
* Anti-tank trench
* Barbed tape
* Belgian gate
* Blast shelter
* Blast wall
* Border security
* Bomb shelter
* Buoy
* Bremer wall
* Concertina wire
* Defensive fighting position
* British "hedgehog" road block
* Czech hedgehog
* Dragon's teeth
* Entry control point (ECP)
* Electric fence
* Fallout shelter
* Fire support base
* Flak tower
* Hardened aircraft shelter
* Hesco bastion
* Kabal
* Loophole
* Main line of resistance
* Missile launch facility
* Pillbox
* Revetment
* Sentry gun
* Spider hole
* Submarine pen
* Underground hangar
* Weapon storage area
* Weapons Storage and Security System

By topography|

* Cave castle
* Hill castle
* Hillfort
* Hillside castle
* Hilltop castle
* Island castle
* Lowland castle
* Marsh castle
* Moated castle
* Promontory fort
* Ridge castle
* Rocca
* Rock castle
* Spur castle
* Water castle
* Floating water castle

By role|

* Border barrier
* Coastal defence
* Coercion castle
* Counter-castle
* Fence
* Ganerbenburg
* Hunting lodge
* Imperial castle
* Kaiserpfalz
* Landesburg
* Lustschloss
* Military base
* Obstacle
* Ordensburg
* Refuge castle
* Toll castle
* Urban castle

By design|

* Bastion fort
* Bridge castle
* Circular rampart
* Concentric castle
* L-plan castle
* Motte-and-bailey castle
* Quadrangular castle
* Ringfort
* Ringwork
* Tower castle
* Z-plan castle

Lists|

* Bastion forts
* Castles
* Cities with defensive walls
* Defense line
* Fortified estate
* Fortifications
* Forts
* Military installations
* Walls

Related word|

* Castle town
* Château
* Dungeon
* Festung
* Fortified gateway
* Gatekeeper
* Loophole
* National redoubt
* Palas
* Picket
* Schloss
* Trench
* Vedette

Other topics|

* Civil defense
* Continuity of government
* Military urbanism
* Subterranean warfare
* Siege
* Siege engine
* list
* Tunnel warfare
* Trench warfare
* Urban warfare
* Guerrilla

* See also:  Category

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Islamic architecture

Styles|

* Abbasid
* Anatolian Seljuk
* Ayyubid
* Chinese
* Fatimid
* Hausa
* Indo-Islamic
* Bengali
* Deccan
* Qutb Shahi
* Mughal
* Indonesian / Malaysian
* Ilkhanid
* Iranian
* Great Seljuk
* Ilkhanid
* Timurid
* Safavid
* Mamluk
* Moorish
* Aghlabid
* Almoravid
* Almohad
* Hafsid
* Zayyanid
* Ottoman
* Somali
* Sudano-Sahelian
* Swahili
* Tatar
* Umayyad
* Yemeni

Elements|

| Materials|

* Qadad
* Tadelakt

|

Arches|

* Chahartaq
* Discharging arch
* Four-centred arch
* Horseshoe arch
* Lambrequin arch
* Multifoil arch
* Ogee arch
* Pointed arch
* Squinch
* Vaulting

Roofs|

* Dome (Arabic dome / Onion dome / Persian dome / South Asian dome)
* Semi-dome
* Tajug
* Chhajja

Religious
objects|

* Anaza
* Bedug
* Dikka (or müezzin mahfili)
* Gonbad
* Hussainiya
* Imamzadeh
* Kiswah
* Loudspeakers
* Maqsurah
* Mihrab
* Minaret
* Minbar
* Qibla
* Zarih

Decorations|

* (For overview, see Islamic ornament)
* Ablaq
* Āina-kāri
* Alfiz
* Arabesque
* Banna'i
* Girih
* Girih tiles
* Islamic calligraphy
* Islamic geometric patterns
* Jali
* Mosque lamp
* Muqarnas
* Nagash painting
* Qashani
* Sebka (Darj-wa-ktaf)
* Shabaka
* Shamsa
* Sitara
* Socarrat
* Stucco decoration
* Zellij

Rooms|

* Andaruni
* Harem
* Iwan
* Liwan
* Mirador
* Hosh
* Qa’a
* Zenana

Gardens|

* Bagh
* Charbagh
* Islamic garden
* Mughal garden
* Paradise garden
* Persian gardens
* Reflecting pool
* Riad

Outdoor
objects|

* Chhatri
* Eidgah
* Fina
* Mechouar
* Sebil
* Shadirvan

Passive
cooling|

* Hypostyle
* Howz
* Jharokha
* Kucheh
* Mashrabiya
* Riwaq
* Sahn
* Salsabil
* Shabestan
* Shading Umbrellas
* Windcatcher

Types|

| Religious|

* Congregational mosque
* Dar al-Muwaqqit
* Dargah
* Gongbei
* Jama'at Khana
* Külliye
* Kuttab (or maktab)
* Madrasa
* Maqam
* Maqbara
* Mazar
* Mosque
* Musalla
* Qubba
* Rauza
* Surau
* Sufi lodge (khanqah)
* Takyeh
* Türbe
* Zawiya

|

Civilian|

* Baradari
* Bazaar
* Caravanserai
* Bimaristan
* Ghorfa
* Hammam
* Hasht-Bihisht
* Kasbah
* Mahal
* Medina quarter
* Souq
* Well house

Military|

* Albarrana tower
* Alcázar
* Amsar
* Kasbah
* Ksar
* Qalat
* Ribat

Resources|

* Aga Khan Award for Architecture
* ArchNet
* Museum with No Frontiers

Influences|

* Indo-Saracenic Revival
* Influences on Western architecture
* Moorish Revival
* Mudéjar

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