Djamaa el Djazaïr
جامع الجزائر
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeMosque
Architectural styleIslamic architecture,
Modern architecture.
LocationAlgiers, Algeria
Coordinates36°44′09″N 3°08′17″E / 36.73583°N 3.13806°E / 36.73583; 3.13806 (Jemma Al Djazair)
Construction started16 August 2012
Completed29 April 2019 (29 April 2019)
Cost898 million Euros
OwnerMinistry of Religious Affairs
Height
Roof70 metres (230 ft)
Top floor265 metres (870 ft)
Technical details
Floor count37
Design and construction
Architect(s)China State Construction Engineering

Djamaa el Djazaïr (Arabic: جامع الجزائر), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (French: Grande mosquée d'Alger), is a large mosque located in Algiers, Algeria. It houses the world's tallest minaret and is the third-largest mosque in the world after the Great Mosque of Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi of Medina in Saudi Arabia.[1][2][3]

The mosque features a prayer hall (salat) with an area of 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft), capable of accommodating 120,000 worshippers. The central nave of this hall is surrounded by colonnades, with the mihrab located to the east, made of white marble. The hall is topped by a dome with a diameter of 50 m (160 ft), reaching a height of 70 m (230 ft).

History

The project to provide the capital Algiers with a grand mosque was presented as an initiative of the former Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to mark his presidential mandates.[4]

The German consortium that designed Djamaâ El Djazaïr consisted of two architectural firms named "KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten"[5] and "Krebs und Kiefer"[6] until 2016. This German consortium won the international architectural competition for the project in January 2008, and the contract was signed in July 2008 for the execution in the presence of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The commission included general design and execution studies for all disciplines, as well as monitoring and control of the construction works of Djamaâ El Djazaïr. The design team consisted of over 100 architects and engineers. In 2007, the engineering and construction company Dessau-Soprin obtained the project management contract.[7]

The Chinese company China State Construction Engineering (CSCEC) was tasked with the construction of the Mosque El Djazaïr. The first concrete foundation casting operations began on 16 August 2012, after a launching ceremony. The construction was expected to create 17,000 jobs, with 10,000 workers from China and 7,000 from Algeria.[8]

The French engineering firm Socotec[9] later joined the project. The French consulting firm Egis oversaw the construction from February 2016 to verify the additional plans provided by CSCEC.

Djamaâ El Djazaïr was financed by the Algerian state with an initial budget of 1 billion euros (approximately 1.5 billion dollars). The official cost of the mosque was 898 million euros or nearly 2 billion dollars.[10] The construction lasted for seven years.[11]

The construction was criticized for its monumental aspect and its expensive costs.[12] Despite some criticisms, the inauguration and the first prayer inside the mosque attracted a large crowd of Algerian faithful.[13]

Architecture

The mosque sits on a site covering 27.75 hectares (68.6 acres)[14] and overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. The prayer hall has a capacity of 37,000 worshippers, while the structure including the compound can house up to 120,000 worshippers and has parking space for 7,000 cars. The complex also houses a Quran(قرآن) school, a park, a library, staff housing area, a fire station, a museum of Islamic art, and a research centre on the history of Algeria.[15]

The mosque also has a 265 m (869 ft) tall minaret, which makes it the tallest building in Africa.[16] It also houses an observation deck atop the minaret, which has 37 floors. The mosque is designed to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 and the structure has been specially processed to resist corrosion. The main prayer hall has 618 octagonal columns serving as support pillars and 6 km (3.7 mi) of calligraphic writing engraved with a laser system. The dome of the prayer hall has a diameter of 50 m (160 ft) and rises to a height of 70 m (230 ft).[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Algeria builds giant mosque with world's tallest minaret". The Guardian. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Bouteflika's mosque seen as monument to megalomania in Algeria". Arab News. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "La Grande Mosquée d'Alger, le chantier de trop du président déchu Abdelaziz Bouteflika". Le Monde.fr. Le Monde. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  4. ↑ Meddi, Adlène (2018-02-17). "Algérie : l'incroyable mosquée de Bouteflika". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  5. ↑ Architekten I KSP ENGEL. "Architekten I KSP ENGEL". Ksp engel (in German). Retrieved 2023-04-14..
  6. ↑ "Kuk - KREBS+KIEFER". KREBS+KIEFER Service GmbH. Retrieved 2020-06-03..
  7. ↑ "Dessau-Soprin remporte le contrat". Djazairess. Retrieved 2020-06-04..
  8. ↑ "Algérie : la grande mosquée d'Alger, les raisons de la colère – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  9. ↑ "Building trust for a safer and sustainable world". SOCOTEC Global. Retrieved 2023-04-14..
  10. ↑ "Rebalancing Algeria's Economic Relations with China". www.chathamhouse.org. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  11. ↑ Mounia, Boudjedri. "Grande Mosquée d'Alger: un coût de réalisation de près de 900 mns d'euros". www.aps.dz (in French). Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  12. ↑ "La Grande Mosquée d'Alger, le chantier de trop du président déchu Abdelaziz Bouteflika". Le Monde.fr. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Djamaâ el Djazaïr: la prière du vendredi suspendue à partir du 13 novembre". Algeria Presse Service. 2020-11-10. Archived from the original on 2022-04-22.
  14. ↑ "Djamaâ El-Djazaïr sélectionnée une des meilleures conceptions architecturales au monde en 2021". Algérie presse service. APS. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Africa's largest mosque has been completed with thanks to China". Quartz. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  16. ↑ "2019 was record-breaking year for supertall skyscrapers". dezeen.com. 17 Jan 2020. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  17. ↑ "Great Mosque of Algiers: an architectural masterpiece and a religious and cultural monument". Algeria Press Service. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
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