Symbol of Islam, a monument of superlatives, and the heart of an entirely new metropolitan district: the Djamaa al-Djazaïr is an edifice with many different facets. In 2008, Frankfurt-based architecture firm KSP Engel’s design won the international competition for Algiers’s new Grand Mosque, which was completed in 2019 after more than a decade of planning and construction work. The vast structure runs along the Bay of Algiers’s shoreline for well over 650 yards. A giant 230 feet-high dome covers the main prayer hall, and the 870 feet-high minaret constitutes Africa’s tallest building to date. Surrounded by extensive gardens, the entire complex houses a range of facilities, including a museum, a theological college, a library, a convention center, and a cinematèque. It forms a unique religious, cultural, and economic center that is a magnet for the entire region. And it unites as an intercultural undertaking genuine Algerian craftsmanship with superb Chinese efficiency, and meticulous German planning and engineering skills. This article describes the urban development of the capital city of Algiers and explains how the city formed in relation to the surrounding territory, laying the basis for the contemporary urban development.
A Portrait of the Urban Landscape of Algiers / Neglia, G. A.. - (2022), pp. 10-27.
A Portrait of the Urban Landscape of Algiers
Neglia G. A.
2022-01-01
Abstract
Symbol of Islam, a monument of superlatives, and the heart of an entirely new metropolitan district: the Djamaa al-Djazaïr is an edifice with many different facets. In 2008, Frankfurt-based architecture firm KSP Engel’s design won the international competition for Algiers’s new Grand Mosque, which was completed in 2019 after more than a decade of planning and construction work. The vast structure runs along the Bay of Algiers’s shoreline for well over 650 yards. A giant 230 feet-high dome covers the main prayer hall, and the 870 feet-high minaret constitutes Africa’s tallest building to date. Surrounded by extensive gardens, the entire complex houses a range of facilities, including a museum, a theological college, a library, a convention center, and a cinematèque. It forms a unique religious, cultural, and economic center that is a magnet for the entire region. And it unites as an intercultural undertaking genuine Algerian craftsmanship with superb Chinese efficiency, and meticulous German planning and engineering skills. This article describes the urban development of the capital city of Algiers and explains how the city formed in relation to the surrounding territory, laying the basis for the contemporary urban development.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
