| Ben Farès Mosque | |
|---|---|
مسجد ابن فارس | |
.jpg) The mosque in 1975 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Place Randon,Casbah,Algiers |
| Country | Algeria |
  Location of the mosque inAlgiers | |
 Interactive map of Ben Farès Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 36°47′2″N3°3′33″E / 36.78389°N 3.05917°E /36.78389; 3.05917 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Pierre Guiauchain |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | Moorish |
| Founder | Napoleon III (as a synagogue) |
| Completed |
|
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,100 worshippers (as a synagogue) |
| Dome | 1 |
| Minaret | 1 |
| Materials | Granite |
| [1] | |
TheBen Farès Mosque, also known asDjamaa Ben Farès (Arabic:مسجد ابن فارس) and formerly asDjamâa Lihoud (Jewish Mosque), is amosque located on Place Randon inAlgiers, the capital ofAlgeria. The mosque is located in theCasbah of Algiers, aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.
Built byNapoleon III in 1865 as asynagogue and named as theGreat Synagogue of Algiers (French:Synagogue de Rue Randon), the structure was abandoned byJews in 1962, during theindependence of Algeria, and repurposed as a mosque.[2][3]
Supported by funding from theFrench government, large synagogues were constructed in Algiers,Oran, andSetif, to establish a public Jewish presence in parallel toRoman Catholiccathedrals and grand mosques. In 1839 the French government tore down several buildings and synagogues in the Jewish quarter as part of urban renewal and promised in return to provideFF120,000 toward the construction of a grand synagogue. It took 25 years for the synagogue to be inaugurated on September 19, 1865, on the site of an ancient mosque on Place Randon.[1]
On 11 December 1960, Algerian rebels battlingFrench rule took over the synagogue. Protesting against a visit byGeneral de Gaulle, Algerian rebels were fired upon by Jews from nearby balconies forcing them to attack the synagogue. the rebels raised a green and white flag above the synagogue. After two days of rioting, French forces restored order. The synagogue was abandoned.
In 1962 the former synagogue was converted into the Ben Farès Mosque.[4] Much of the exterior of the former synagogue was preserved, with the only major change was the addition of an octagonalminaret. Inside the former synagogue, all Jewish symbols were removed. TheTorah ark was replaced by amihrab. The building is sometimes referred to as the Mosque of the Jews.[1]
Designed by Pierre Guiauchain in theMoorish style, the square interior with a large dome and horse-shoe arches accommodate 900 men, plus 200 women in the second-floor balconies. Achandelier hung from the central dome, with light streaming in from stained-glass windows. Plaques on the walls saluted community benefactors, and in 1922 the synagogue added two large plaques on either side of the ark memorializing community members who died inWorld War I. The ark housed many scrolls, including aSefer Torah from Spain, completed centuries before the synagogue was built. An organ was added at some point. Thefaçade faces the market plaza with a large door flanked by two columns and two side doors, with a widegranite staircase.[1]
En face du marché Djamâa-Lihoud, s'élève l'ancienne synagogue, aujourd'hui Djamâa Fares [In front of the Djamâa-Lihoud market rises the former synagogue, today the Djamâa Fares]
Media related toBen Farès Mosque at Wikimedia Commons
| Algiers | |
|---|---|
| Constantine | |
| Oran | |
| Tlemcen | |
| Other provinces | |
| Former | |
