98 TRAVELS IN NORTHERN AFRICA. CHAP. iii. 
narrow streets ; but there are many open spaces, entirely void of 
buildings, and covered with sand, on which the camels of the 
traders remain. Many palms grow in the town, and some houses 
have small square enclosures, in which are cultivated a few red 
peppers and onions. The street of entrance is a broad space of at 
least a hundred yards, leading to the wall that surrounds the castle, 
and is extremely pretty : here the horsemen have full scope to 
display their abilities when they skirmish before the Sultan. The 
castle itself is an immense mud building, rising to the height of 
eighty or ninety feet, with little battlements on the walls (a 
fancy of the present Sultan's) ; and at a distance really looks 
warlike. Like all the other buildings, it has no pretensions to 
regularity : the lower walls are fifty or sixty feet in thickness ; the 
upper taper off to about four or five feet. In consequence of the 
immense mass of wall, the apartments are very small, and few in 
number. The rooms occuj)ied by the Sultan are of the best qua- 
lity, (that is to say, comparatively), for the walls are tolerably 
smooth, and white- washed, and have ornamental daubs of red paint 
in blotches, by way of effect. His couch is spread on the ground, 
and his visitors squat down on the sandy floor at a respectful 
distance ; we, however, were always honoured by having a corner of 
the carpet offered to us. The best and most airy part of the castle 
is occupied by the women, who have small rooms round a large 
court, in which they take exercise, grind corn, cook, and perform 
other domestic offices. The number called Kibere, or great ladies, 
seldom exceeds six. This dignified title is generally given to the 
mothers of the Sultan's children, or to those, who, having once been 
great favourites, are appointed governesses to the rest. There are, 
on the whole, about fifty young women, all black and very comely ; 
and from what stolen glances we could obtain, they appeared ex- 
