Derb Dabbashi in Marrakesh

Описание: The neighborhood “Derb Dabbashi” (درب ضبشي) — also pronounced Dabbshi / Odabashi — is an old compound term that refers to a military rank in Marrakesh associated with the officer who commanded soldiers.
The term “Derb Dabbashi” or “Dabbshi / Odabashi” dates back to the Saadian period and later the Alaouite era. It is derived from Ottoman Turkish:
Odabaşı (Oda-bashi)
which literally means:
“Head of the room” or “Head of the soldiers”
(from Oda = room or military unit, and Başı = head/chief).
This rank referred to:
a senior officer supervising soldiers,
or the commander of a military unit in Marrakesh,
and sometimes the official responsible for order inside the palace or the barracks.
According to historians, the district of Derb Dabbashi was established during the Saadian dynasty and was inhabited by Turks who had joined the Saadian army. It originally contained seven main alleys, including:
a military barracks called the Qashla (Kasbah barracks),
Derb Moulay Abdelkader,
Derb Sidi Ben Aïssa,
Fondouk al-Qabbaj (a hostel for unmarried rural migrants),
Derb al-Jami‘ (the Mosque Alley),
Derb al-Warqa,
Derb Keshkash,
Derb al-Jdid (the New Alley),
and Derb al-Hajra, where the house of Hajj Idar was located. This building had originally been a traditional fondouk, later transformed into a luxurious residence by Hassan al-Akkari and then acquired by Hajj Idar, the chamberlain of Pasha El Glaoui. It has now become a tourist restaurant specializing in Moroccan cuisine.