Algiers was filled with achievements in art and architecture, in decorative arts and textiles. The following section will give you an overview of culture of this jewel in the Ottoman empire.
Culture of
Algiers
Algiers was filled with achievements in art and architecture, in decorative arts and textiles. The following section will give you an overview of culture of this jewel in the Ottoman empire.
A floorplan of a mosque designed by Sinan
Islamic Art and Architecture
Algiers, as part of the Ottoman empire, contributed and were influenced by the great Ottoman achievements in the arts, many of which were made possible by the great support of the sultans (Spielvogel, 524). The greatest achievements were in architecture, especially in the Muslim mosques (Kühel, 172). These mosques, modeled after Istanbul's church of Hagia Sophia, included a prayer hall with an open central arc covered by one dome (Spielvogel, 525). Sinan, the great architectural genius of the Ottoman empire, influenced the architecture of Algiers (Kühel, 173). He built mosques with "soaring height" that were filled with windows and cornered with four minarets, or tall and thin towers used to make the structure seem light, in both visibility and feeling (Spielvogel, 525). All his mosques were the focus of greater compounds built around them including schools, libraries, hospitals, and markets (Spielvogel, 125). His Mosque of the Sultan Sulayman in Istanbul became the model for mosques in Algiers (Kühel, 172).
The culture in Algiers and in the Ottoman empire wasn't limited to architecture
alone, although the architectural achievements seem to be the most prominent.
The Ottomans, as an Islamic culture, also flourished in the "decorative
arts", like textiles, woodwork, glass, pottery, etc. ("Islamic
Arts: Visual Arts" Britannica Online). As a major port, these
areas of Ottoman culture spread to Algiers ("Algiers" and "Islamic
Arts: Visual Arts: LATE PERIOD: Ottoman Art" Britannica Online).
Great textiles, numbering over a hundred in kind, for example silk, rugs,
and clothing, also composed part of the Ottoman culture ("Islamic Arts:
Visual Arts" Britannica Online). The production of silk was
done with the financial aid of the sultan, and rugs were created by the
peasants out of wool and cotton in distinctive and unique designs and colors
(Spielvogel, 525). Silk was also a device to record major events of the
time, where the important events would be painted onto silks as a sort of
celebration ("Islamic Arts: Visual Arts" Britannica Online).
Clothes were a mark of status and often used as rewards by high officials
(see 'society- clothing) ("Islamic Arts: Visual Arts" Britannica
Online). Paintings were also part of Ottoman culture and usually depicted
realistic scenes like of the military, for example (Spielvogel, 525). Most
Ottoman culture was colorful and complex, though the empire lacked an emphasis
on sculpture ("Islamic Arts: Visual Arts" Britannica Online).
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