.jpg)
Ksar or qṣar (Algerian Arabic: قصر, romanized: qṣer, gser, plural قصور qṣur; Berber: ⵉⴴⵔⵎ aghrem or ighrem, plural: igherman), plural ksars, qsars, ksour or qsour, is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh).[1][2]
The origin of the term is qaṣr (قَصَر) "castle, palace"; it is a loanword of the Latin word castrum.[3][1] The Berber word for a ksar used in North Africa is ighrem (singular) or igherman (plural).[1]
Ksour in the Maghreb typically consist of attached houses, often having a fortified communal granary known as a ghorfa or agadir, and 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.
