Kasbah Gnawa

Kasbah Gnawa (Arabic: قصبة ڭناوة), also referred to as: Kasbah of Gnaouas or Ismailian Kasbah is a kasbah located in the city of Salé in Morocco, and is the only one on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river.

Kasbah Gnawa
Native name
Arabic: قصبة ڭناوة‎
Kasbah Gnawa from outside
TypeFortification, Military base
LocationSalé, Morocco
Coordinates34°03′44″N 6°48′48″W
Area7000 sqm[1]
Founded1708
FounderSultan Moulay Isma'il ibn Sharif
Built1708
Architectural style(s)Moroccan

Nowadays, the kasbah is hosting a circus school called "Shemsy's",[2][3] which is the national Moroccan circus school, and the only circus school in Morocco and the whole of Africa.[4]

History

The Kasbah Gnawa was originally one of the largest fortresses erected during the reign of Sultan Moulay Ismail in 1708 where the Jich Abid al-Bukhari (black slave guards from Western Sudan) were placed to protect the coasts of Salé and Rabat against attempts of penetration and foreign occupation. The guards were later accused of disrespecting the honor and virtue of local women, which provoked a violent reaction from the inhabitants, who formed a group led by the governor Abdelhaq Fennich, and attacked the kasbah in 1758.

After the death of Moulay Ismail, The monument was devastated due to riots and internal wars. The Kasbah was thus forgotten until the arrival of Hubert Lyautey in 1912, as the first general resident of France in Morocco. During the First World War, it served as a gathering point for the Moroccan infantry battalions who successively stayed there while awaiting their departure for the various fronts in France and the East.

In 1948, the kabsah was promoted to a national heritage site, by a royal dahir.

Pictures
  • Contemporary Pictures from the Kasbah Gnawa
  • Actual entrance of Kasbah Gnawa
  • Kasbah Gnawa and the Atlantic Ocean
  • Wall surrounding Kasbah Gnawa

References
  1. DIAPO. SALÉ: SPECTACLE DE DÉSOLATION À LA KASBAH DES GNAOUAS - Le360 (2015)
  2. Circus school brings hope to Morocco's street children - EFE (2019)
  3. Shemsy's National Circus School of Morocco - A Social Project - Transterra Media (2013)
  4. Cirque Shemsy offers chance for Moroccan children to learn circus arts - Tinyhand (2020)
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