Dar Aziza

Dar Aziza is a 16th-century Moorish palace located in the Casbah of Algiers in Algeria. Today, it houses the National Agency of Archaeology and Protection of Historic Sites and Monuments. Dar Aziza, arguably the most iconic surviving building of its era in Algiers, was part of a large governmental compound known as Janina Palace, which existed before the arrival of Turkish corsairs.

Dar Aziza was part of a large governmental compound known as Janina Palace, which existed before the arrival of Turkish corsairs. It is believed to have been built at some time in the 16th century, though its surrounding environment was significantly modified after the advent of French colonial rule. In the Ottoman period, it would have served to lodge foreign embassies and, in particular, the Fathers of the Order of Mercy who came to negotiate the redemption of Christian captives. According to a 1721 document, the building had three floors before losing one in the 1716 earthquake. According to Henri Klein, this palace was given by the Dey (probably Dey Hussein) to his daughter Aziza on the occasion of her marriage to the Bey of Constantine.

In 1818, Hussein Dey left Jenina Palace for the more secure Palace of the Dey on a high location dominating the Casbah of Algiers. In 1838, after the French conquest, Dar Aziza became the residence of the Bishop of Algiers and then the archbishopric of Algiers due to its position in front of the cathedral. It was described by the Louis-Antoine-Augustin Pavy as a "jewel of oriental architecture" and was classified as a historic monument in 1887. The other buildings of Janina Palace were largely demolished in 1856 by the French colonial authorities.

Since 1962, the palace has been occupied successively by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ethaqafa magazine and now by the National Agency of Archaeology and Protection of Historic Sites and Monuments.

The palace was originally on a sloping site and had several stories. Its original ground floor, somewhat like a basement, contained storerooms, kitchens, stables, and shops along its exterior, but these have since disappeared and the floor above it has become the ground floor. The main building is a two-story structure centered around an internal square courtyard (the wast ad-dar or 'center of the house').

Text adapted from “Dar Aziza” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dar Aziza ranks #5,146 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #12 of the 22 mapped in Algeria. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 39% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 755 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how Algeria compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗