What Is a Kasbah?

A kasbah is a fortified earthen citadel or great house, built from rammed red mud and straw — the defining architecture of southern Morocco. This guide explains what a kasbah is, what it's made of, the difference between a kasbah and a ksar, and the famous kasbahs you can visit, from Aït Ben Haddou to Ouarzazate.

What is a kasbah?

A kasbah (from the Arabic qasba) is a fortified building — historically the stronghold or great fortified house of a local ruler, family or clan. In Morocco the word is used above all for the tall, crenellated earthen fortresses of the south, with their high blank walls, corner towers and decorated upper storeys. Some kasbahs are single grand houses; others grew into whole fortified quarters. Cities such as Marrakech also have a 'kasbah' district — the old citadel beside the royal palace.

What a kasbah is made of

Almost every Moroccan kasbah is built from the earth it stands on: rammed earth (pisé) and mud-brick (adobe), mixed with straw and sometimes lime, raised in thick tapering walls that keep the rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. Geometric patterns are pressed or carved into the upper walls. The material is beautiful and sustainable but fragile — without regular re-plastering after the rains, an abandoned kasbah slowly melts back into the ground, which is why so many stand half-ruined.

Kasbah or ksar — what's the difference?

The two words are often confused. A kasbah is a single fortress or fortified great house; a ksar (plural ksour) is a fortified village — a cluster of homes, granaries and often several kasbahs behind one defensive wall. Aït Ben Haddou, for instance, is strictly a ksar, even though almost everyone calls it a kasbah.

The 'Road of a Thousand Kasbahs'

The route between Ouarzazate and the Dades and Draa valleys is known as the Road of a Thousand Kasbahs, for the earthen fortresses that guard almost every oasis. The palm groves of Skoura, the Dades and Todra gorges and the road down toward the desert are lined with them — some still lived in, many slowly returning to the earth.

Famous kasbahs to visit

Aït Ben Haddou is the most famous — a UNESCO World Heritage ksar of stacked kasbahs above a river, and a favourite film set. In Ouarzazate, the Taourirt Kasbah, once home to the powerful Glaoui family, is among the best preserved. The dramatic Telouet Kasbah in the High Atlas, another Glaoui stronghold, is well worth the detour off the old pass road.

Why kasbahs became film stars

The kasbahs and the desert light around Ouarzazate — nicknamed 'Ouallywood' — have stood in for ancient Egypt, Jerusalem and mythical kingdoms in countless films and series. Aït Ben Haddou alone has appeared in productions from Lawrence of Arabia to Gladiator and Game of Thrones, part of why it draws so many visitors.

Staying in a kasbah

Like riads in the cities, many southern kasbahs have been restored as guesthouses and hotels, so you can sleep within the thick earthen walls, dine on a roof terrace under the stars and wake to the palm groves. It is one of the most atmospheric ways to break the journey between Marrakech and the Sahara.

Seeing the kasbahs on your Morocco tour

Almost every desert tour from Marrakech crosses the High Atlas and stops at Aït Ben Haddou and the kasbahs of the south on the way to the dunes. Our Sahara desert guide explains the route, and every private Morocco tour can be built to linger among the kasbahs as long as you like.

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