Great Mosque of Algiers
The Great Mosque of Algiers (GMA, Arabic مسجد الجزائر الأعظم, in French Djamaâ el Djazaïr ) is a mosque in the Algerian capital of Algiers, which was completed in 2019 . After the two Islamic pilgrimage sites Mecca and Medina , it is the third largest mosque in the world. Completion was initially planned for 2015, but has been postponed since then. In Algeria itself, many believers regard it as the prestige project of President Abd al-Aziz Bouteflika , who wanted to use this monumental project to divert attention from Algeria's social and political problems. The construction was financially supported by China.
Client
The Great Mosque of Algiers was commissioned by the Algerian Ministry of Religions. It is part of a € 280 billion investment program by the Algerian government of President Abd al-Aziz Bouteflika. The cost of the project was initially given as 1 billion euros and has now risen to 1.4 billion euros. The mosque has received the nickname "Bouteflika Mosque".
use
In the mosque, various cultural and religious influences of Islam in Algeria are to be united. According to the client, a new district of Algiers is to be built around The Great Mosque of Algiers, with a cultural center, park, cinemas, boutiques, teahouses, university, library, student residence and 6000 parking spaces.
Building
location
The mosque was built in the Bay of Algiers on an area of 26 hectares. The architecture office speaks of a “landmark and impulse generator for a new urban development in Algiers”. Residential areas are planned in the vicinity of Djamaa El Djazair . A tram line is to run from the mosque to the center.
architecture
The complex is to be a Maghrebian hall mosque with influences from classical modernism . The building complex will also be visible from afar thanks to its world's tallest minaret, approx. 265 m high. It is also a high-rise building that will house a museum and research facilities.
The central prayer room is a huge cube with a square footprint of approx. 145 × 145 m and a height of 22.5 m, which can hold up to 120,000 people. Somewhat indented in the cube is an approximately 45 m high, but significantly smaller cube with the central dome. The building complex will be equipped with solar modules and a rainwater retention device.
Involved
For the project, an implementation company was founded as the client, the Agence Nationale de Réalisation et de Gestion de la Mosquée de l'Algérie .
In 2008, a German planning association consisting of the Frankfurt architecture firm KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten and the Darmstadt engineering firm Krebs + Kiefer was commissioned to develop the first plans . The building technology (heating, cooling, air conditioning, ventilation, automation and fire extinguishing technology) is planned by Klett Ingenieur GmbH with headquarters in Fellbach, the electrical engineering is planned by Steinigeweg planning company from Darmstadt. The security concept (structural - technical - organizational measures) is from KRAISS WILKE & KOLLEGEN security consultants from Wiesbaden.
Earthquake security
The building site is at risk of earthquakes, which is why the pillars of the minaret were anchored 45 meters deep. This complex foundation, the so-called Barrette foundation , is intended to increase stability. In addition, the wall thickness of the load-bearing outer walls of the tower changes according to the structural requirements from 150 cm on the lower levels to 45 cm on the upper levels.
The prayer hall was raised on "seismic isolators" to protect against earthquakes. These structural devices for earthquake protection are so far unique on this scale.
The earthquake expert Abdelakrim Chelghoum warned that the building was not adequately secured against earthquakes. According to a government spokesman , a seismic mechanism is built in to buffer the effects of an earthquake with a magnitude of 9 on the Richter scale on an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5.
power supply
The electrical energy supply is basically via the public power grid. In addition, the mosque has its own power station for energy supply. The production of heat, cold and electricity takes place on the basis of natural gas. Combined heat and power plants, a boiler, hot water and gas heated absorption chillers, compression chillers and cooling towers (wet / dry operation) form the energy system. Several combined heat and power plants take over the power supply of the complex parallel to the public power grid. The waste heat from the systems is used to cover the building's heat requirements and to heat the absorption chillers operated with hot water. The energy center is to distribute the in-house production of 12 MW cooling capacity, 4 MW heating energy and 4.6 MW own electricity generation. The total electrical connection of the complex is 8.5 MW.
Construction process
The foundation stone for the mosque was laid on November 1, 2011. The construction of the mosque is carried out by 1700 Algerian and Chinese construction workers. The China State Construction & Engineering Corporation was commissioned as general contractor for the construction . It is currently the largest project of the state-owned Chinese construction company in Algeria.
Various difficulties arose during the construction. In 2013 there was no sand. The fine desert sand is not suitable for high-strength concrete. The 680 partially 34 meter high column elements made of spun concrete were manufactured in Germany by Europoles (Sonthofen) and delivered by ship to Algiers. Refractory, certified stones are also rare in Algeria. Many building materials are therefore imported. The limestone for the facade was supplied from Turkey and Italy.
Criticism and controversy
The project is controversial in Algeria because the country has a number of serious problems that many consider to be more important. In 2012 the newspaper Liberté listed : high unemployment, housing shortages, water shortages, inadequate healthcare , lack of schools, dependence on imported food, textiles and medicines. In 2012 Algeria already had 14,659 mosques and 20,000 other places of worship. Adlène Meddi, editor-in-chief of the government-critical newspaper El Watan Weekend , compared the project with the oversized construction projects in the Gulf States .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ ARD: A paralyzed country , sighted on March 5, 2016
- ↑ QZ: China completes Africa's largest mosque in Algeria
- ↑ a b c d AFP: Algeria builds giant mosque with world's tallest minaret. In: theguardian.com. May 6, 2016, accessed May 6, 2016 .
- ^ Homepage of KSP Jürgen Engel, accessed on March 4, 2016
- ^ Security concept for the great mosque in Algiers . KRAISS WILKE & COLLEAGUES. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ Information from Klett GmbH
- ↑ Rudolph Chimelli: Construction of the highest minaret in the world angered Algerians. Süddeutsche Zeitung, August 30, 2012
Coordinates: 36 ° 44 ′ 5.3 " N , 3 ° 8 ′ 29.7" E