Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 9(4), pp. 1246 - 1256
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090426
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Image and Signification of the Neo-Moorish Architecture in Algeria Case Study: The Big Post Office in Algiers

Amina Chalabi ^1,*, Youcef Lazri ^2
1 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University Salah Boubnider Constantine 3, Algeria
² Department of Architecture, Faculty of Science and Technology, University May 8, 1945 Guelma, Algeria

ABSTRACT

Algeria is one of the Maghreb countries that lived through French colonialism, a colonialism that left behind a great architectural and urban legacy that adorns Algerian cities and is an integral part of their urban landscape. This legacy consists of a mosaic of architectural styles ranging from neo-classical to buildings of the modern movement through art Deco and neo-Moorish style. The specificity of the neo-Moorish architecture, which is based on its cultural references inspired by the local architecture, has given it a special place among the inhabitants. The public buildings of the neo-Moorish style have become today's important landmarks in Algerian cities. As any form of architecture has a meaning for the users, we tried in the present work, to verify empirically the question of the social representation of the neo-Moorish style in Algeria and the relationship that a local population can maintain with an architectural heritage issued from the colonial period. This is done through a symbolic example, which is the great post office in Algiers. We opted for a qualitative approach carried out in the field with the help of a methodological tool, a questionnaire-based survey. A survey, which, despite these limits in terms of the inhabitant's predisposition and the disparity of points of view between the generations, revealed a collective acceptance and an attribution of multiple heritage values to this legacy. Finally, this will allow us to inscribe this social representation in the logics of institutional heritage.

KEYWORDS
Architectural Language, Neo-Moorish, Architectural and Decorative Elements, Social Representation- Algeria

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Amina Chalabi , Youcef Lazri , "Image and Signification of the Neo-Moorish Architecture in Algeria Case Study: The Big Post Office in Algiers," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 1246 - 1256, 2021. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090426.

(b). APA Format:
Amina Chalabi , Youcef Lazri (2021). Image and Signification of the Neo-Moorish Architecture in Algeria Case Study: The Big Post Office in Algiers. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 9(4), 1246 - 1256. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090426.