Preparedness Maneuvers at Great Mosque of Algiers: Civil Protection Tests Emergency Response

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS- In an effort to gauge readiness for significant hazards, the Civil Protection teams conducted new maneuvers on Sunday at the Great Mosque of Algiers. The exercises focused on testing the preparedness of the prayer hall, simulating a fire scenario and smoke dispersion within the hall. The drills took place after the evening prayer, with the participation of worshipers and Civil Protection students.

The exercises followed a successful similar test conducted during daylight hours, evaluating the evacuation of the prayer hall within minutes by opening all doors leading to the seaside terrace and the mosque’s courtyard.

The maneuvers are part of the ongoing preparations before officially putting the mosque’s facilities into service, ensuring their sensitivity to major risks such as fires and earthquakes.

Earlier on January 19, Civil Protection teams initiated trial exercises at the Great Mosque to assess the operational capabilities using various resources, including trucks, vehicles, cranes, and even helicopters.

The maneuvers utilized specialized human resources in rescue operations, with interventions from the top of the minaret and near the mosque’s dome.

Following these drills, additional exercises will be conducted to test the intervention capabilities of teams and equipment in emergency response plans, especially during evacuation operations.

The Great Mosque of Algiers is the third-largest mosque globally, following the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. The mosque includes a large prayer hall accommodating 120,000 worshipers, along with several other facilities such as the “Dar al-Quran” and the “Center for Dialogue of Civilizations.”

Great Mosque of Algiers… anti extremism’s religious and cultural edifice

Erected in the heart of the capital on the territory of the commune of Mohammadia, the Great Mosque of Algiers is classified as the largest in Africa and the third largest in the world after Masdjid Al-Haram of Mecca and Masdjid Al-Nabawi of Medina.

The mosque is modernist in design, with an Andalusian interior, geometric architecture, and decorations in wood, marble, and alabaster. It features six kilometers of Koranic text in Arabic calligraphy, along with turquoise prayer mats.

This modernist structure extends across 27.75 hectares, with a prayer hall spreading over more than
2 hectares, with a capacity of 120,000 worshipers. This hall is a massive cube with a footprint measuring approx. 145 meters by 145 meters and 22.5 meters high. At its apex, there is a dome that soars to a height of 70 meters and a base of some 50 meters in diameter. All the religious elements, such as the Qibla wall, the Mihrab, and the Minbar, are integrated into a hall of modern aesthetics.

The Mosque boasts the world’s tallest minaret at 267 meters, fitted with elevators, offering panoramic views that overlook the capital and Bay of Algiers with the dimensions of a skyscraper. These features make it unique in the history of Islam. Its floors open out to the plaza, while the elevators, made of semi-transparent ornamental elements (known as “Moucharabieh façade elements”) serving as protection from the sun, take visitors to the upper public floors, which house the Museum of Algerian History. Moving above, you can find two research areas known as the Research Center, which are accessible to accredited scholars only. The top of the tower, for its part, is open to the public.

Cultural and educational buildings, such as; a house for the Qur’an with a capacity of 300 seats for post-graduation pedagogy, an Islamic cultural center built on an area of 8,000 square meters, with a capacity of 3,000 people, a library with a capacity of more than 2.000 seats hosting a million books, a lecture hall, a museum of Islamic art and history, a center for research on the history of Algeria, a media library, a video library, a film library, two amphitheatres, projection spaces, art workshops, a computer center and the Imam School with apartments for doctoral students are a fundamental part of the Mosque complex, making this edifice not only the center of religious matters, but also the center of events and social and cultural life.

The mosque also contains an outdoor sprawling square with a courtyard that mediates between the prayer hall and the adjoining esplanade in the west. There are administrative headquarters, a car park with a capacity of up to 6,000 cars on two levels underground, green spaces, and shops, not to mention 12 independent buildings located on an area of about one hectare. The mosque has a highly effective anti-seismic system capable of absorbing more than 70% of the earthquake’s force.

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Dzair Tube has firmly established itself as a prominent player among Algerian digital news sites, offering a diverse and enriching content experience. The platform, available in Arabic, French, and English editions, captures the attention of a wide-ranging audience, amassing over half a million daily clicks.

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