The Great Mosque of Constantine, Algeria..Tell me about the houses of God

Algeria -

“Tell me about the houses of God with you.. I tell you who you are.” A rule believed by many historians. The existence of man in any civilization has always been linked to places of worship, and perhaps the “Ancient Mosque” or what is known as the “Great Mosque” in the Algerian city of Constantine One of the signs of urbanization in the country.

The history of the Ancient Mosque of Constantine dates back to the 11th century. The researcher at the National Center for Prehistoric Research and Anthropology, Hussein Totaw, told Al Jazeera Net: "The oldest physical evidence of the history of this mosque is one of the wooden panels inside it."

This wooden piece found inside the prayer house dates back to the year 455 AH, corresponding to the year 1062 AD.

That is, it extends to the Hammadi era in the country, and the mosque was built on the ruins of the Roman baths whose rocks were later used to build the pillars of the ancient mosque.

About the French colonialism, the facade of the mosque to the facade of the church (Al-Jazeera)

beacon masterpiece

An architectural masterpiece in the center of the ancient city of Constantine - its facade appears at first glance to be a church with a beacon! - while the story of this facade dates back to the era of French colonialism in Algeria, which was trying to obliterate identity by converting mosques into churches.

The ancient mosque was not converted into a church because of the strict protection imposed on it by the notables of Constantine, while it was subjected to a kind of distortion, as the lighthouse, part of the courtyard, and the library, which was a beacon of science in that period, were demolished.

The French colonialism used an apartment for the roads in the city as a pretext to cut off the facade of the ancient mosque, which was later built in the “Morrisque” architectural style. At first glance, it appears to the viewer as the facade of a church, topped by a beacon that the French colonialism also created after the ancient minaret was cut.

The Great Mosque in Algeria dates back to the 11th century, according to historical evidence (Al-Jazeera)

Mosque restoration

The inhabitants of Constantine, Algeria, have a special romantic relationship with the ancient mosque or the city's Great Mosque.

How not?!

It was he who contributed to the dissemination of science and language through the various stages the country went through, and he graduated from it and taught those who devoted their lives to fighting ignorance.

The mosque witnessed - to his feet - many restoration attempts, and the doctor and researcher Hussein Totaw tells - to Al-Jazeera Net - that "the mosque was under the management of Sheikh Al-Arab bin Al-Sheikh for Fiqqun and his family, as he was the trustee who rode the pilgrims of Algeria."

And Dr. Totaw added: "At that time, Algerians coming from different regions of the country gathered in Constantine as a starting point for pilgrims under the supervision of Al-Amin Sheikh Lafqoun."

Because some parts of the ancient mosque were damaged by time, the secretary of the pilgrims’ ride agreed with the beys and the Turkish rulers in the city of Constantine to deduct part of the money that the Algerians were collecting for Mecca, to restore and restore the Great Mosque.

The Great Mosque in Algeria has undergone several restorations, but the effects of the years still appear on it (Al-Jazeera)

First-class

The arches inside the mosque form corridors for worshipers. These white arches stand on ancient rocks dating back to the Roman era. These columns are linked by solid wood columns. The arches are decorated with ceramic squares colored in light blue and olive green.

While the walls of the mosque are decorated with different colors and decorations, mosaics and drawings in bright colors, royal blue, bright yellow, brown, green and other colors, and the mosque has brown wooden doors decorated with handles in gold, everything is in the first old style.

As for the facade of the mosque, the visitor can hardly distinguish whether it is a church or a mosque, except through the small minaret that tops the convex upper part.

The mosque is painted from the outside with yellowish-white by foot, and its details are colored brown, in the form of circles and eight stars and crescents on the sides.

Unlike many things that may lose their value as time passes, the ancient mosque acquires a higher value over the years. The people of the city of Constantine are associated with it, generation after generation, passing on its stories and keen to keep it standing despite its old age.