Kasbah Tamdert is a fortress and kasbah in

Fes Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...

, Morocco. It is located near

Bab Ftouh Bab Ftouh (also spelled Bab Fetouh) is the main southeastern gate of Fes el-Bali, the old walled city of Fes, Morocco. History The name ''Bab (al-)Ftouh'' means literally "Gate of the Opening", but historically this name (also used for Bab ...

in southern Fes el-Bali.

History

The kasbah was built in the 16th century on the orders of the

Saadian The Saadi Sultanate (also rendered in English as Sa'di, Sa'did, Sa'dian, or Saadian; ar, السعديون, translit=as-saʿdiyyūn) was a state which ruled present-day Morocco and parts of West Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was l ...

sultan

Muhammad al-Shaykh ''Mawlay'' Mohammed al-Shaykh al-Sharif al-Hassani ( ar, محمد الشيخ الشريف الحسني) known as Mohammed al-Shaykh ( ar, محمد الشيخ) (b. 1490 – d. 23 October 1557) was the first sultan of the Saadian dynasty of Morocco ...

in 1549. The Saadians, who had their capital at

Marrakech Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, built forts around Fes to keep its population under control as much as for defending it from outside enemies. Kasbah Tamdert was the first of the Saadian fortifications built in the city, consisting of a simple walled enclosure (a kasbah), while years later the Saadians built the heavier fortresses of

Borj Nord Borj Nord or Burj al-Shamal (), Al-Burj ash-Shamali () is a fort in the city of Fez, Morocco. It was first established in 1582 by the Saadi dynasty, modeled after the Portuguese forts in the 16th century. It is among the largest defense structur ...

Borj Sud Borj Sud () is a fort in the city of Fez, Morocco. It was first established around 1582 by the Saadian dynasty, likely modeled after Portuguese forts of the time. It is located on the hills overlooking the old city ( Fes el-Bali) from the south, a ...

, and the bastions on the eastern side of Fes el-Jdid. The name ''Tamdert'' was a local Amazigh (Berber) name. The kasbah continued to be used for military purposes up to the 20th century, when it served as the

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

of the sultan's tabors in 1911 and continued to be used as a barracks during the French Protectorate period (1912–1956).

References

{{Morocco-stub category:Buildings and structures in Fez, Morocco Kasbahs in Morocco