Great Mosque – Algeria

The Djamaa el Djazir Great Mosque in Algiers was completed in 2019 and, at 265m, its minaret makes the building the tallest in Algeria.

Profile

• Height: 265m
• Floors: 37
• Built: 2019
• Use: religious
• Location: Algiers – capital, population 3.5m

Background:

The mosque is said to be a symbol of the long-standing president Bouteflika, who remained in power for 20 years until he resigned in 2019. Those supporting the project claim that it stands as a symbol of forward-thinking in Islam and against extremism, but critics argue that it is an attempt by the government to control the running of the religion in the country.

Part of a complex which includes a library, park and museum. Despite the attractiveness of such a complex, the mosque has been criticised by some locals who note that there are already mosques every half a kilometre in the city and the money could have instead been spent on healthcare.

The minaret is (perhaps purposely) taller than that of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca – which stands at 210m. This may symbolise the mild rivalry with neighbouring Morocco.

Design:

The minaret itself consists of sections, each comprised of five floors. The number five is used as a reference to the five pillars of Islam – important rules all Muslims must try to follow.

Includes panoramic lifts that offer 360˚ views over the city and sea.

A patterned ‘skin’ wraps around the glass facade of the minaret and can be raised and lowered depending on the time of year. This is an effective way to control the temperature in the building.

A multi-purpose hall is one exciting feature in the complex. Its capacity is 1500, yet a mobile, sound insulated wall allows the room to be split into two separate spaces, of capacities 500 and 800 if required.

Construction & Engineering

The outer walls on the minaret are the main structural elements, formed of trusses. This allows each floor to be uninterrupted by structural columns (unlike, as I have now learnt, a ‘curtain wall’ system).

Algiers sits on a fault line between two tectonic plates (Eurasian and African), experiencing regular earthquakes. The mosque was designed with this in mind, and is earthquake resistant up to 7.3 on the Richter scale. This is achieved by:

1. Viscous dampers, which work by absorbing shock and vibrations into a fluid. This silicone-based oil is pushed into a piston during an earthquake, providing friction and therefore dissipating energy away from the kinetic store of a building, opposing its motion and reducing swaying/vibrations.

2. Reinforced concrete ‘sails’ in each compass direction.

The mosque complex includes a solar panels for renewable energy collection, and a system for collecting rainwater, which is used to water the gardens.