Djamaa el Djedid (الجامع الجديد), also rendered Djamaa al-Djedid, or ''Jamaa El Jedid'' (meaning New Mosque) is a mosque in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, the capital of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. It is dated to 1660/1070 AH by an inscription over its main entrance portal. That inscription also attributes its construction to al-Hajj Habib, a Janissary governor of the Algiers region appointed by the Ottoman imperial administration in Constantinople. During the French colonial rule, the mosque was called the Mosquée de la Pêcherie and in English the Mosque of the Fisherman's Wharf (''Mesdjed el-Haoutin'').

Architecture

The central dome reaches a height of 24 meters and rests on four pillars via a drum and four

pendentive In architecture, a pendentive is a constructional device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or of an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to point ...

s. These four corners are enclosed by four octagonal

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

s. Between these square spaces, barrel vaults cover three sides whilst the fourth area, facing the ''

qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...

'' wall, is covered by a fourth vault with three bays, flanked on both sides by an aisle. Djamaa el Djedid: Ottoman patronage directed the structure in terms of both the layout and the decoration. The building is unique in its mixture of multiple architectural traditions, including elements from

Andalusia Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...

n and southern Italian religious architecture, influential in Algeria at the time. Carvings in the mosque's interior reveal Italian influences while the ''

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

's arch follows Andalusian models. The use of Italian marble instead of wood for the

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

reflects Ottoman traditions, though the components are all typical of North African minbars. The mosque forms the eastern edge of the Place des Martyrs. The ''

'' wall serves busy

Amilcar Cabral The Amilcar was a French automobile manufactured from 1921 to 1940. History Foundation and location Amilcar was founded in July 1921 by Joseph Lamy and Emile Akar. The name "Amilcar" was an imperfect anagram of the partners' names. The busine ...

Boulevard. The Almoravid Great Mosque of Algiers (Built c.1097 CE) also gives on the same boulevard, seventy meters to the east. The mosque got its informal name from its proximity to the fishing harbour, and attendance by the local fishermen. The mosque measures 27 meters wide and 48 meters long with the ''qibla'' wall forming the southern edge of the building. The stone structure of the mosque is completely whitewashed on its exterior, including the domes, resulting in a unified white appearance. One of the only hints of colour on the exterior is the thin line of tile trimming the decorative rampart on the mosque's walls facing the Place des Martyrs. Though most of the mosque reveals a clear Ottoman influence, the

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

is based almost entirely on traditional North African square models. Initially 30 meters high, today it's only 25 meters above the level of the street, due to the gradually rising street level. The clock, that was integrated into the minaret by French architect Bournichon, was originally part of the Palais Jenina.

Notable imams

* Mohamed Charef (1908-2011)

References

{{Mosques in Algeria Mosques in Algiers Religious buildings and structures completed in 1660 Mosques completed in the 1660s Ottoman mosques in Algeria

Architecture

Notable imams

See also

References