Djamaa el Djazaïr

The mosque features a prayer hall (salat) with an area of 22,000 m² (240,000 sq ft),^[5] 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.^[6]

The German consortium that designed Djamaâ El Djazaïr consisted of two architectural firms named "KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten"^[7] and "Krebs und Kiefer"^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[10]

The French engineering firm Socotec^[11] 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.^[12] The construction lasted for seven years.^[13]

The construction was criticized for its monumental aspect and its expensive costs.^[14] Despite some criticisms, the inauguration and the first prayer inside the mosque attracted a large crowd of Algerian faithful.^[15]

Architecture

The architecture of the mosque is of square geometry combining modern and traditional styles. It evokes the oldest type of mosque, the mosque with colonnades which open upwards like a flower while providing space for technical conduits.

The mosque sits on a site covering 27.75 hectares (68.6 acres)

Several roads and other means of access lead to Djamaâ El Djazaïr from the Algiers suburbs. It can be accessed by car via the northern ring road of Algiers, taking the Mohammadia/Grande Mosque exit.

Public Transport

The Algiers tramway provides access via the Pont El Harrach and Bellevue stations, located within a 10-minute walking distance of the Mosque.

The ETUSA bus line B19 passes near the Mosque, which can connect it to the metro line M1 or to the Algiers commuter rail network via the Caroubier station.

It will soon be possible to access the mosque by boat via the Algiers Marina project, north of the mosque, where a maritime terminal will be built.

The mosque, also, has a helipad.

Gallery

• 
  The yard of the mosque.
• 
  Architecture of the pillars.
• 
  The Mosque's logo in Arabic typography.
• 
  The dome.

See also

• Djamaa el Kebir
• Algerian Islamic reference
• Hizb Rateb (Hezzab, Bash Hezzab, Salka)
• Lists of mosques
• List of mosques in Africa
• List of mosques in Algeria
• List of tallest buildings in Algeria
• List of tallest buildings in Africa
• List of cultural assets of Algeria
• List of most expensive buildings

References

External links

• Media related to Djamaâ El Djazaïr at Wikimedia Commons