Ketchaoua Mosque

Rising at the foot of the Casbah, this Ottoman-era mosque anchors the lower old town of Algiers with its twin white minarets and broad arcaded portico. First built in the seventeenth century, it was converted into a cathedral during French rule and returned to Muslim worship after independence, a history mirrored in its blend of Moorish and European detailing. Visitors climb the monumental staircase to reach a cool prayer hall of marble columns and painted ceilings. Its restored facade fronts the busy harbour district.