Kurbash

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kurbash or Kourbash (from the Arabic qurbash, a whip; Turkish kırbaç, a whip; and French courbachze), a whip or strap about a yard in length, made of the hide of the hippopotamus or rhinoceros. It is an instrument of punishment and torture that was used in various Muslim countries, especially in the Turkish empire. Government by kurbash denotes the oppression of a people by the constant abuse of the kurbash to maintain authority, to collect taxes, or to pervert justice. The use of the kurbash for such purposes, once common in Egypt, has long been abolished.

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.