CHAPTER TH E E IG H T E EN TH
MINOR TOWNS
iJgEL KASAR EL KABEER
BE ST known among the minor towns of Morocco, El
Kasar —although its full name does mean “ The
Great Castle ”— has not much to commend it. Situated
near the western edge of the plain of El Gharb, by
the meandering river Eekkus, it commands no
° . Situation.
prospect/ and presents no attractive features.
Hardly does it deserve the name of town, as, except by
its size and compactness, it is not to be distinguished
from an over-grown village.
Its mud and pan-tile dwellings, confined by no wall,
are only here and there relieved by a mosque-tower or
green hipped roof, and are far from inviting;
=> 1 1 . Appearance.
while the figures which people its ill-kept streets
exhibit few signs of wealth. There is, indeed, a certain
appearance of bustle on market days— Sundays— when
the country-folk flock in, and trade is brisk in years
of good harvest. The kai'sanyah or business quarter
is most creditable for the size of the town, as it has to
serve a large district. The weekly market, held close
by, is crossed by a canal which so comports itself in
winter that the only dry place is the bridge, which then
becomes thronged with buyers and sellers, who, to cross
the market, have to wade shoeless.
About a quarter o f an hour to the west of the town,
at a place called Es-Sud, is a cutting from the river,