kasbahn.

1738 T. Shaw Trav. Barbary & Levant 313 They made an unsuccessful Attempt upon the Government, by endeavouring to seize upon the Cassaubah.

1844 J. H. D. Hay Western Barbary 113 We paced with measured steps to the Kasba, or citadel, wherein is situated the ‘Dar-al-Kebeer’, the residence of the governor.

1857 H. Barth Trav. & Discov. N. & Central Afr. I. 147 The little kasbah, which is never wanting in any of these towns, was in tolerable condition.

1867 ‘Ouida’ Under Two Flags II. i. 12 Singing her refrain,..as she bounded over the picturesque desolation of the Cashbah.

1890 G. W. Harris Pract. Guide Algiers i. 41 This Casbah, in the good old days of Algerian predominance, was a magnificent palace fitted with all the luxury and refinement of the epoch.

1902 Westm. Gaz. 9 Dec. 3/1 Algiers.., with its quaint Kasbah, or native quarter, its Citadel,..and its interesting suburbs.

1930 E. Waugh Labels viii. 189 Five Scots people..were caught by a very shady guide who took them up to the Kasbar in a taxi-cab.

1958 Times Lit. Suppl. 11 July 393/4 The kasbah country south of the Atlas is on the tourist route, and well organized.

1961 Times 6 May 9/7 In Algiers the Casbah is entirely without romance.

1969 R. Landau Kasbas S. Morocco 11 The first kasbas (qasbas, more precisely) were built by the Almohad dynasty in the thirteenth century; they were not simply fortresses, but were the walled-in section of the ruler's capital, a complex with palace, main mosque,..and various state offices.

1971 Country Life 28 Oct. 1120 The kasbahs, or mud fortresses, of the pre-Saharan oases in southern Morocco are virtually unique as a form of defensive architecture.