Ketchaoua mosque

I have posted photographs of various mosques in Saudi Arabia and UAE but none of any mosques in Algeria yet so here are two which are very close together and both in the capital, Algiers. We went to Algiers during the week and our walk started from the Rue de la Lyre where the Ketchaoua mosque is situated.

Ketchaoua mosque (pronounced 'Ketchowa') which is at the foot of the Casbah has quite an interesting history. It was mosque then cathedral and then later, mosque once again. Originally it was built by the Ottomans but was coverted into a cathedral during French colonial times; it was restored back to a mosque in 1962.

"The Ketchaoua mosque (Djamaa Ketchaoua جامع كتشاوة), at the foot of the Casbah, was before independence in 1962 the cathedral of St Philippe, itself made in 1845 from a mosque dating from 1612. " *

The mosque has some very beautiful architecture as can be seen in the photographs I managed to snap.



You can just see the mosque in the picture below; there are crowds of people because the street just near to the mosque is the site of a popular market selling dates, clothing and other items.

Looking in the other direction you can see the Masjid El-kabir; it is the oldest mosque in Algiers apparently dating back to at least 1097.

Cherchell

Cherchell Port

We took a drive along the coast to Cherchell during the week. It was a two and a half hour drive through some beautiful scenery: the Mediterranean sea to the right and fertile, green hills to the left. After Tipaza the road to Cherchell turned inland and the landscape became more lush: fields growing tomatoes, figs, plums and lots more besides. There were children at the sides of the roads selling baskets of freshly picked produce such as prickly pears and tomatoes.

My 4 year old son was delighted every time we drove past donkeys which are used quite a lot for labour in the area.

The actual town of Cherchell is quite old and run down like most towns I have visited in Algeria but it has a long and rich history dating back to 1500BC and the Ancient Egyptians. However it is best known for it's Roman ruins and the modern name Cherchell is the 'Berberisation' of the Roman name for the town, Caesarea.

The Masjid Er-Rahmane is quite a strange building built in the style of the Pantheon complete with Romanesque pillars.

We also drove past a Roman aquaduct coming back out of Cherchell going back to Tipaza but I missed the opportunity to photograph it. See a photograph here. Amazingly intact piece of architecture.

Some mosques... Saudi Arabia & UAE

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A quick photo post of some of the mosques I have photographed recently in Saudi Arabia and UAE...

Small masjid near Riyadh centre ... I just loved the simplicity of this masjid and the figure of the man who can be seen praying


Big masjid on the road out of Riyadh towards Kharj. This masjid has all the space and facilities for washing the dead and performing janazah prayer.


As before

Masjid towards the north of Riyadh... sandy skies in Riyadh!

Sharjah, UAE (next to Radisson hotel)... the masjid, carpark and road which is not in photo were jampacked with worshippers for the Eid ul-Adha prayer

Sharjah, UAE

Umm Al-Qaiwaim, UAE

Village mosque, Ramss, Ra's Al-Khaimah, UAE

Part of Masjid Al-Nabi, Madinah by night

Looking down an alley towards Masjid al-Nabi