Great Mosque of Algiers (Djamaa El Djazaïr)

The Great Mosque of Algiers, completed on April 29, 2019, stands on a 400,000 m² (4,300,000 sq ft) site overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Designed by KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten in collaboration with Krebs und Kiefer International, and built by China State Construction Engineering, the complex is a monumental project intended to serve as a new cultural and religious center for Algiers. The mosque itself can accommodate up to 120,000 worshippers, with the prayer hall alone capable of holding 37,000 people. The site also offers parking for 7,000 cars and features additional facilities including a Quranic school, a park, a library, staff housing, a fire station, a museum of Islamic art, and a research center dedicated to the history of Algeria. Central to the design is the mosque’s towering 265-meter (869-foot) minaret, the tallest building in Africa, which includes an observation deck spanning 37 floors and a museum of Algerian history. Engineered to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 9.0 and resistant to corrosion due to special treatments, the structure responds to Algeria’s seismic and coastal conditions. The prayer hall, a massive cube measuring roughly 145 meters on each side, features 618 octagonal columns and is adorned with 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) of laser-engraved calligraphy. Its dome, 50 meters (160 feet) in diameter, rises to a height of 70 meters (230 feet), topped with an intricate mashrabiya screen made of fiber-reinforced precast concrete panels. This screen, besides providing visual richness, offers shade and cooling for the structure. The natural stone façade spans 95,000 m², while a landscaped park with palm groves and fountains surrounds the mosque, creating a tranquil environment. Cultural and educational institutions such as a cultural center, a library, and an imam school, integrated into the southern side of the complex, form a unified architectural and social ensemble, further solidifying the mosque’s role as a hub for religion, education, and community life. The project, initiated by the Algerian government, also symbolizes national pride, standing as the third-largest mosque in the world after the Great Mosque of Mecca and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina.

Djamaâ el Djazaïr is set to become the third biggest mosque in the world, with a prayer hall capable of holding 35,000 worshipers and a complex including conference rooms, libraries and other facilities. Architects Drees & Sommer are working with Jürgen Engel Architekten and the engineering consultancy Krebs und Kiefer on the project, which is likely to take more than four years to complete.