Traditional Arabic houses sometimes have a Bab Al-Sirr: a secret door used as an emergency exit built into the walls and hidden with a window sill or a bookcase. The name comes from one of the six gates cut through an ancient wall in Aden (in modern-day Yemen), which was opened only in the event of a state security emergency. In modern-day Spain, the Arab fortress of Benquerencia has a Bab al-Sirr known as the ‘Door of Treason.’
The Daily Omnivore 
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