A Carthaginian trading post with a syncretic urban structure and culture - Kasbah of Algiers 565; Knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous 01602; Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices 01718; Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) 01951
What and Why
The kasbah or casbah of Algiers (Tamazight: ⵍⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ, Ldzayer) is a chaotically beautiful eclecticism of Islamic, Berber and Mediterranean architecture and culture. It is often referred to a symbol of Algerian culture, embracing and picking cultures from various epochs of its long history.
The city is populated since antiquity but prospered during the time of Carthage (Punic: 𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕, Qrt-ḥdšt) when it became a major trading post with Europe in the 1st millennium BCE. The port was then taken over by the Berbers and then the Roman Empire (Latin: Imperium Romanum) and continued its economic importance. The current landscape and urban design started during the 10th century CE by the Berbers and continued its developments and expansions under different Berber dynasties. The citadel reached its heydays during the Regency of Algiers (Arabic: دولة الجزائر, Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) under the Ottoman Empire (Turkish: Devlet-i ʿOsmānīye) rule from the 14th to 19th century CE. The kasbah started to lose its importance during the French Algeria (French: Algérie française) colonisation period when the focus was moved outside of the citadel.
The kasbah played a central role during the Algerian War of Independence (French: Guerre d'Algérie) in the 1960s CE. During the early years of the war, the kasbah was the epicentre of the insurgency of the National Liberation Front (Arabic: جبهة التحرير الوطني, Jabhatu l-Taḥrīri l-Waṭanī). The sentinel became their basecamp and eventually led to Algeria's (ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻⵔ, Dzayer) independence in 1962 CE.
Over the long period of existence, it has picked up cultures from different periods and put them into a melting pot, evolving them into a unique syncretic culture.
Toponymy
The city name Algiers derives from the Arabic word 'الجزائر (al-jazāʾir)' meaning 'the islands'. This refers to the four former islands off the city coastlines which had become part of the mainland in the 16th century CE. Algeria adopted the city name as the country name.
The word 'kasbah' derives from the Arabic term 'قَـصَـبَـة (qaṣaba)' meaning 'fortress' or 'citadel'. Casbah is the French spelling of the word.
See
Unlike other Arabic medinas (Arabic: مدينة, madīnah) like those blogged in Fez (ⴼⴰⵙ) or Marrakesh (ⴰⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ), there is no real defined demarcated boundary between the medina with the rest of the city. Looking from the outside however, one can easily observe the difference in architecture and even colour between the two.
The kasbah is likely to be constructed and developed collectively with a military intention, as it overlooks the harbour from a raised site. While the site has many winding and narrow alleys and streets going up and down the hill, it is not as labyrinth-like as other Arabic medinas, and navigating around is relatively easy. The kasbah is also a massive cluster of residence, landmarks and shops and is not only a bazaar.
As from the map above, we walked from the top towards the coastline: from the upper kasbah to the lower kasbah to the admiralty. The upper kasbah is generally more historic as the lower kasbah was demolished by the French during colonisation times when most buildings were replaced with colonial buildings.
Obviously I cannot document all the landmarks but shall feature those most impressive.
Palace of the Dey (ⵜⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔⵜ ⵏ ⴷⵢⵉ)
Located on the top of the hill, the Palace of the Dey (ⵜⴳⴰⴷⵉⵔⵜ ⵏ ⴷⵢⵉ, Tgadirt n Dyi) is the only part of the medina which is still fortified. The palace, completed in the 17th century CE, was the official residence of the Dey (Arabic: داي). The term 'dey' is an honorific title for the ruler of the Regency of Algiers during the Ottoman times. The word comes from the Turkish word 'dayı' meaning 'uncle'.
The palace was at one time the second largest palace of the Ottoman Empire, after Topkapı Palace (Turkish: Topkapı Sarayı) as blogged in Istanbul (İstanbul). The palace itself is a mixture of Moorish and Ottoman, a reminder of those architectures blogged in Cordova (Córdoba) and Granada, which includes courtyards, water features, western kitchens, state rooms, prayer halls and hammam (Turkish: hamam). The palace however looks derelict.
Sidi Ramdane Mosque (ⵍⴵⴰⵎⴰⵄ ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵔⴰⵎⴷⴰⵏⴻ)
The Sidi Ramdane Mosque (ⵍⴵⴰⵎⴰⵄ ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵔⴰⵎⴷⴰⵏⴻ, Lǧamaɛ Sidi Ramdane) is an ancient but small mosque built in the 11th century CE. The mosque is named after a soldier who participated in the Early Muslim conquest (Arabic: الْفُتُوحَاتُ الإسْلَامِيَّة, al-Futūḥāt al-ʾIslāmiyya) of North Africa, who became the chieftain of Algiers.
Mausoleum of Sidi Abderrahmane (ⴰⵖⵔⵎ ⵏ ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵄⴱⴷⵕⵕⵃⵎⴰⵏ)
Mausoleum of Sidi Abderrahmane (ⴰⵖⵔⵎ ⵏ ⵙⵉⴷⵉ ⵄⴱⴷⵕⵕⵃⵎⴰⵏ, Aɣřm n Sidi Ɛbdṛṛḥaman) is a mosque and mausoleum named after the city’s patron saint. The main building was characterised by its white dome or qubba (Arabic: القبة).
Ketchaoua Mosque (ⵜⴰⵎⵣⴳⵉⴷⴰ ⵏ ⴽⵉⵜⵛⴰⵡⴰ)
The Moorish-Byzantine (Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων, Basileía Rhōmaíōn) Ketchaoua Mosque (ⵜⴰⵎⵣⴳⵉⴷⴰ ⵏ ⴽⵉⵜⵛⴰⵡⴰ, Tamzgia n Kgtcawu) is an important landmark in the kasbah. The mosque was originally built in the early 17th century CE but was converted during the French Algeria to Cathedral of Saint Philip (French: Cathédrale de Saint-Philippe) and remained a cathedral until the independence when it was reverted back to a mosque. It is one of the grandest buildings in the kasbah.
Dar Aziza (ⴷⴰⵔ ⴰⵣⵉⵣⴰ)
Dar Aziza (ⴷⴰⵔ ⴰⵣⵉⵣⴰ) is easily the most beautiful and best preserved buildings within the kasbah and is easily recognised by its elegant Moorish riad (Arabic: رياض, riyāḍ) design. It currently houses the National Agency of Archaeology (ⵜⴰⵙⵏⵓⵔⴰⵢⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⴰⵔⴽⵢⵓⵍⵓⵊⵉⵜ, Tasnurayt Tanamurt n Arkyulujit). The palace is believed to have been built at some time in the 16th century CE, though its surrounding environment was significantly modified after the advent of French colonial rule.
The palace is named after Princess Aziza Bey, the daughter of the Dey of Algiers. The term Bey is another Turkic honorific meaning direct relatives of the leaders or rulers.
Place des Martyrs (ⴰⴷⵖⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⵎⵖⵔⴰⴱⵉⵢⵏ)
The Place des Martyrs (ⴰⴷⵖⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⵎⵖⵔⴰⴱⵉⵢⵏ, Adɣar n Imɣrabiyn), as the name suggests, commemorates the martyrs and those sacrificed during the Algerian War of Independence. The plaza is the main meeting place of Algerians and in fact is regarded as the centre of Algiers, with good access to metro and bus station.
As picture above, a pavilion called Kiosque à Musique sits at the centre of the plaza. It once hosted diverse concerts organised by Algerian musicians. Surrounding the plaza are all the main commercial buildings of the city, many of these classical buildings were built during the French colonial times.
Djamaa El-Kebir (ⵊⴰⵎⴰⵄ ⵍⴽⴱⵉⵔ)
Djamaa El-Kebir (ⵊⴰⵎⴰⵄ ⵍⴽⴱⵉⵔ) is a historic mosque of Algiers that dates back to the late 11th century CE. It was built during the Almoravid dynasty (Arabic: المرابطون, Al-Murābiṭūn) and hence features its distinctive architecture. Over the years it has undergone various refurbishment and reconstructions, especially post French invasion, but the core of the building remains largely similar to that a thousand years ago.
Buy and Do
Metal engraving (ⴰⵙⵎⵓⵜⵜⴳ ⵏ ⵓⵥⵕⴼ)
Within the kasbah there are myriads of shops offering pretty much everything expected from an Arabic medina. The most ubiquitous would be the metallic pots and pans and one will hear the constant hammering of metals around. As blogged in Fez (ⴼⴰⵙ), metalworking is an important Arabic art form and is a recently inscribed ICH. Make sure you haggle though.
Eat and Drink
Couscous (ⴽⵓⵙⴽⵓⵙ)
We had dinner in the very upscale El Aurassi (ⵍⵄⵓⵕⴰⵙⵉ) hotel when we had a tajine (Arabic: طاجين) of couscous. Couscous is a very important staple in Maghrebi cuisine, as blogged in our blog in Marrakesh (ⴰⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ). From an Algerian perspective, couscous originated from the Berbers in Algeria during the 11th century CE. Couscous has been recognised and inscribed as an ICH in 2020 CE.
Stay
During our whirlwind tour, we stayed in the very posh Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport (ⵀⵉⴰⵜ ⵔⵉⵊⴰⵏⵙⵉ ⴰⵍⵊⵉⵔⵉⵙ ⴰⵏⴼⵍⴰⵃ, Hiat Rijansi Aljiris Anflaḥ) which is connected to the airport by a mile-long footbridge. The hotel is new but many amenities and facilities seem unfinished during my stay.
Getting There and Around
While Algiers is relative safe, the usual vigilance and precautions should be observed when travelling within the kasbah. After all the kasbah is a maze of narrow alleys and no one can ignore the danger lurking around. The kasbah seems to empty itself very quickly after sunset and perhaps this says something about its safety.
The kasbah will easily spend one a full day at least, just by walking without stop.
UNESCO Inscriptions
The Kasbah is a unique kind of medina, or Islamic city. It stands in one of the finest coastal sites on the Mediterranean, overlooking the islands where a Carthaginian trading-post was established in the 4th century BC. There are the remains of the citadel, old mosques and Ottoman-style palaces as well as the remains of a traditional urban structure associated with a deep-rooted sense of community.
The knowledge, know-how and practices pertaining to the production and consumption of couscous encompass the methods of preparation, manufacturing conditions and tools, associated artefacts and circumstances of consumption of couscous in the communities concerned. Preparing couscous is a ceremonial process involving several different operations. These begin with growing the cereal, after which the seeds are ground to obtain a semolina that is rolled by hand, steamed and then cooked. These practices are associated with a set of exclusive tools, instruments and utensils. The dish is accompanied by a variety of vegetables and meats, depending on the region, season and occasion. Nowadays, as in the past, the methods involved in preparing couscous constitute a sum of knowledge and know-how that is transmitted informally through observation and imitation. For the manufacture of the utensils: clay utensils are made by potters while wooden utensils are produced by cooperatives or artisanal factories, which are often family-owned. In recent decades, however, more formal transmission has also developed outside the family circle or home. The non-culinary aspects of the element – namely rituals, oral expressions and certain social practices – are also transmitted by the bearers. Couscous is a dish replete with symbols, meanings and social and cultural dimensions all linked to solidarity, conviviality, sharing meals and togetherness.
Engraving on metals such as gold, silver and copper is a centuries-old practice that entails manually cutting words, symbols or patterns into the surfaces of decorative, utilitarian, religious or ceremonial objects. The craftsperson uses different tools to manually cut symbols, names, Quran verses, prayers and geometric patterns into the objects. Engravings can be concave (recessed) or convex (elevated), or the result of a combination of different types of metals, such as gold and silver. Their social and symbolic meanings and functions vary according to the communities concerned. Engraved objects, such as jewelry or household objects, are often presented as traditional gifts for weddings or used in religious rituals and alternative medicine. For instance, certain types of metals are believed to have healing properties. Engraving on metals is transmitted within families, through observation and hands-on practice. It is also transmitted through workshops organized by training centres, organizations and universities, among others. Publications, cultural events and social media further contribute to the transmission of the related knowledge and skills. Practised by people of all ages and genders, metal engraving and the use of engraved objects are means of expressing the cultural, religious and geographical identity and the socioeconomic status of the communities concerned.
References
Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) | UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
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