Djamaa el Djazaïr

Djamaa el Djazaïr (Arabic: جامع الجزائر‎), also known as the Great Mosque of Algiers (French: Grande mosquée d'Alger), is a mosque 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][4]

Djamaa el Djazaïr
General information
StatusConstruction Completed
TypeMosque
Architectural styleIslamic architecture,
Al-Andalus architecture,
Modern architecture.
LocationAlgiers, Algeria
Coordinates36°44′09″N 3°08′17″E
Construction started16 August 2012
Completed29 April 2019
OwnerMinistry of Religious Affairs
Height
Roof70 metres (230 ft)
Top floor265 metres (870 ft)
Technical details
Floor count37
Design and construction
ArchitectChina State Construction Engineering

History

The construction of the mosque began in August 2012 after the Algerian government's contract, for 1 billion euros, was won by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The design was done by German architects KSP Juergen Engel Architekten and engineers Krebs und Kiefer International and was completed by April 2019[5]. The mosque faced construction delays owing to budgetary concerns due to the falling prices of oil. Around 2,300 workers from China, Algeria and other African countries were deployed to work on the project. The construction of the mosque was seen by many to serve as a symbol of the reign of long-serving president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.[6][7][8][9][10]

Architecture

The mosque sits on a site covering 400,000 m2 (4,300,000 sq ft) and overlooking 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 Koranic 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.[6][9][2]

The mosque also has a 265 m (869 ft) tall minaret, which makes it the tallest building in Africa.[8] 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).[9][11]

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See also

References
  1. "Algeria builds giant mosque with world's tallest minaret". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. "China helping to construct Great Mosque of Algiers". China Daily. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. "Bouteflika's mosque seen as monument to megalomania in Algeria". Arab News. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  4. "La Grande Mosquée d'Alger, le chantier de trop du président déchu Abdelaziz Bouteflika". Le Monde. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  5. https://qz.com/africa/1606739/china-completes-africas-largest-mosque-in-algeria/
  6. "Africa's largest mosque has been completed with thanks to China". Quartz. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  7. "Bouteflika's mosque seen as monument to megalomania". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  8. "Chinese company helps build world's third-largest mosque". China Global Television Network. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  9. "Africa's largest mosque set to open in Algeria's capital". China Global Television Network. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  10. "The Biggest Mosque in Africa is Now in Algeria, Not Morocco". Morocco World News. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  11. "Great Mosque of Algiers: an architectural masterpiece and a religious and cultural monument". Algeria Press Service. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
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