Red-light district
A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is common. The term was first recorded in the United States around 1890, and derives from the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the (often illegal) nature of the business. This is based on the biblical story of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho who aided the spies of Joshua and identified her house with a red light.
Interestingly, one of the many terms used for a red-light district in Japanese is akasen (赤線), meaning "red-line district".
Famous red-light districts
Africa
- Avenue Lalla Yacout - Casablanca, Morocco
- Wagh el Birket - Cairo, Egypt
- Petit Socco - Tangier, Morocco
Asia-Pacific
- Clinton Plaza - Bangkok, Thailand
- Geylang - Singapore
- Kabukicho - Tokyo, Japan
- Kings Cross - Sydney, Australia
- Patpong - Bangkok, Thailand
- Yoshiwara - Tokyo, Japan (in Edo period)
- Hira Mandi - Lahore, Pakistan
- Kamathipura - Mumbai, India
- Wanchai - Hong Kong
- Gion - Kyoto, Japan
Europe
- Boulevard de Clichy - Paris, France
- De Wallen - Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Piazza Vittorio Emmanuele - Rome, Italy
- Kings Cross - London, United Kingdom
- Reeperbahn - Hamburg, Germany
- Raval/Barri Xines - Barcelona, Spain
- Picin Park - Belgrade, Serbia
- Jozsef Utca - Budapest, Hungary
- Pigalle - Paris, France
- Union Street - Plymouth, United Kingdom
North America
- The Levee - Chicago, Illinois
- Barbary Coast - San Francisco, California
- The Block - Baltimore, Maryland
- La Merced - Mexico City, Mexico
- Sepulveda Boulevard - San Fernando Valley, California
- Storyville - New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sunset Boulevard - Hollywood, California
- Times Square - New York City, New York
- Venus Alley - Butte, Montana
- Zona Rosa - Mexico City, Mexico
sv:Malmskillnadsgatan