A mixture of people crowded the streets in Bal’harm. There were Muslims in flowing robes, Christians in tunics, Berbers whose dark-colored cloaks stood out in every crowd, and Jews with curled braids hanging down from under their yarmulkes. What was once Zis, then Panormus, had become Bal’harm, center of Muslim learning on the island and capital of its wealthy leaders.
The kasbah was the center of the town. As the primary marketplace, it could always be counted on to draw a crowd and as the cultural center for art and government, the square would serve as a staging area for speeches and demonstrations.
kasbahBut Saabih never looked at the kasbah in this way. He was an architect, one of the best in Islam, and he was brought to Bal’harm to introduce the city to the beautiful art and design
