Bab Ksiba (Arabic باب اكناو) is one of the nineteen gates of Marrakech, Morocco. It was built in the 12th century in the time of the Almohad dynasty.

The name Ksiba, (pron. Lak- siba), in Berber refers to the Kasbah district of the Medina, where this gateway is located. Kasbah means Fortress where Ksiba means Little -Fort. The term Bab literally means door but in this instance is also gate, gateway or opening.

To the left of Bab Ksiba (as snown in the photograph) stands an ancient Eucalyptus Tree.

The function of the Bab Ksiba gate provides access to the southern end of the Kasbah district of the Medina. The first citadel of the Sultans of Morocco.

On literal translation Bab Ksiba describes a door to a little fort, this however is not a correct meaning. The true translation in fact is the little gate to the Kasbah.

This makes obvious sense when one considers the big gate to the Kasbah found at the Kasbah districts northern end is Bab Agnaou, a highly decorated gate, the corner-pieces are decorated with floral decorations extending around a shell. This ornamentation is framed by three panels and on these panels is an inscription from the Quran in Maghribi, foliated Kufic letters, which were also used in Al-Andalus. Bab Agnaou was renovated and its opening reduced in size, during sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah. Forerunners of this horseshoe-shaped gate with its corner-pieces, framed by inscriptions from the Quran can be found in the Mezquita in Cordoba. It shows many similarities to the contemporary (much simpler) Bab Er-Rouah in Rabat.

Bab Ksiba and Bab Agnaou gives entrance to the royal kasbah in the southern part of the medina of Marrakech a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a favorite location for Tourist Accommodation within the Medina. The kasbah, built by the Almohad sultan Yaqub al-Mansour, is the site of El Mansouria (the kasbah mosque), the El Badi Palace and the Saadian Tombs.

[edit] External links

• Image of Bab Ksiba by Maverickhawkesley:
• Guide to the Kasbah district, location of Bab Ksiba
• Facebook Group on the Kasbah
• Riad Laksiba, just inside the Bab Ksiba gateway takes its name from the phonetic pronunciation of the gateway "Lak-siba".
• Riad Laksiba definition

[edit] See also

• Kasbah
• Bab Agnaou
• Koutoubia Mosque
• Menara gardens
• Hassan Tower
• Giralda

[edit] References

• Sanctuaires et fortresses almohades / H. Basset and Henri Terrasse, Collection "Hespéris" ; no 5, Paris, 1932

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