Building sights in Africa
-
A
Old British Consulate
The Old British Consulate building, west of the Gurgi Mosque on Shari Hara Kbira, was first constructed in 1744 as a residence for Ahmed Pasha (the founder of the Karamanli dynasty) during the final phase of his reign (1711-45). From the second half of the 18th century until 1940, it was the office of the British consul. In addition to iplomatic representation, the consul's representatives used their position to launch expeditions into the Sahara with an eye on lucrative trade routes.
On a plaque outside the entrance, this history is, not without some justification, viewed with unconcealed anger. It claims that 'the so-called European geographical and exploratative…
reviewed
-
B
Guga S’Thebe Arts & Cultural Centre
Brilliantly decorated with colourful ceramic murals, this is one of the most impressive buildings in the townships, if not in all of Cape Town. A host of community classes are held here, including beadwork and the making of traditional garments and pottery. Performances by local groups are often held in the outdoor amphitheatre. While here also check out the wonderful mosaic-decorated plinths along the street outside. Each side of the four plinths has a different theme, one of which is the only memorial to the Mendi, a troop ship that sank in the English Channel in 1917 drowning 607 members of the South African Native Labour Corps. The huge mural painted on the building…
reviewed
-
Colonial Buildings
Colourful St-Pierre is easily seen in a day on foot. You'll find a scattering of colonial buildings in the centre, including the old Hôtel de Ville, which started life as a coffee warehouse for the French East India Company during the 18th century. The old colonial-era train station is now occupied by a nightclub. Nearby is the Bassin de Radout, a dry dock dating from the 19th century. Another must-see is the entrepôt Kervéguen, which was used as a warehouse by the French East India Company.
In the same area, keep your eyes peeled for the médiathèque Raphaël Barquisseau, another building dating from the thriving era of the French East India Company. There are many…
reviewed
-
Ville Nouvelle
The Ville Nouvelle is not new and nor is it French. Early on, the Ottoman-backed rulers of Algiers and their powerful courtiers were building themselves summer houses and pleasure pavilions up on the heights of the broad crescent of hill that backs the bay of Algiers. Although the entire hillside and much beyond has now been developed to accommodate a growing population, some of the old villas remain, a few of them converted into museums and other public spaces.
reviewed
-
C
La Médina D’agadir
Four kilometres south, on the Inezgane road, Coco Polizzi, a Rabat-born Italian architect, has created the La Médina d’Agadir, an idealised Berber village, built using traditional techniques and materials, with workshops for 30 independent artisans. A café-restaurant provides refreshments. Shuttle buses (adult/child costs Dh60/30) drive out to La Médina d’Agadir from the kiosk on Blvd du 20 Août, picking up at several hotels on the way.
reviewed
-
D
Medersa Mouradia
Medersas are schools for study of the Quran. They declined in the late 19th century when broader education came into vogue. Fine examples - mostly still used as schools - are clustered around the Zaytouna Mosque. With an ornately studded door, the Medersa Mouradia was built in 1673 by Mourad II, son of Husseinite bey Ali Pasha, on the ruins of a Turkish barracks destroyed during a rebellion. It's used to train apprentices in traditional crafts.
reviewed
-
Heri es-Souani
Located nearly 2km southeast of the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail are Moulay Ismail’s immense granaries and stables - Heri es-Souani. They are ingeniously designed. Tiny windows, massive walls and a system of underfloor water channels kept the temperatures cool and air circulating. The building provided stabling and food for an incredible 12,000 horses, and Moulay Ismail regarded it as one of his finest architectural projects.
reviewed
-
E
Koubbat as-Sufara’
The Koubbat as-Sufara’ was once the reception hall for foreign ambassadors. Beside the entrance, you will notice the shafts that descend into a vast crypt. This dark and slightly spooky network of rooms was used for food storage, although tour guides will delight in recounting the (erroneous) story that it was used as a dungeon for the Christian slaves who provided labour for Moulay Ismail’s building spree. Bring a torch.
reviewed
-
F
San Francisco Church
San Francisco Church was built in the 1930s and offers services primarily for Libya's expat community. The sanctuary is quite simple, with a towering mural behind the altar. On the walls around the 1st-floor balcony are murals of the Twelve Stations of the Cross. Mass is conducted in English, French and Italian and mass times are usually posted on the door. It's off Sharia Khalid ibn al-Walid.
reviewed
-
G
Beit Zeinab al-Khatoun
Leaving Al-Azhar Mosque, turn left and then left again into an alley between the southern wall of the mosque and a row of shops housed in the vaults of a 15th-century merchants’ building. At the top of this road lies Beit Zeinab al-Khatoun, a small but interesting Ottoman-era house with a rooftop affording superb views of the surrounding minaret-studded skyline.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
H
Draghut Mosque
The 6th-century Draghut Mosque bears the name of an infamous corsair admiral and governor of Tripoli. Its elegant pillars and arches (there are 15 in the main prayer hall alone with many more in adjoining rooms) are quite stunning. Things to look out for include the green-and-white calligraphic and arabesque relief inscriptions used sparingly against a white background.
reviewed
-
I
Kalat el-Koubba
The Koubba was an ancient funduq (caravanserai or inn) and the rooms surrounding the courtyard are now given over to mannequin displays of day-to-day life under the Ottomans. It's thought to have been built in the late 11th century AD. The most striking feature is the cupola with its remarkable zigzag ribbing; the fluted interior is just as impressive.
reviewed
-
Creole Buildings
Architecture and history buffs should take a look at the town's appealing Creole buildings. They date back as far as the 1840s, when Hell-Bourg was a famous resort town and when it attracted a rather well-heeled crowd. You can go on a guided tour (in French) organised by the tourist office or the Écomusée; it takes about an hour and costs around €4.
reviewed
-
J
Gabinete Literario
This sumptuously ornate historical building was the island's first theatre and is a national monument. It's an old-world display of faded elegance, with a gracious interior patio and rooms lined with bookcases crammed with learned-looking volumes. The place now functions as a private club, although the pricey French restaurant (La Galeria) is open to all.
reviewed
-
K
Auditorio de Tenerife
Designed by the internationally renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and possessing a Sydney Opera House presence, as well as superb acoustics, the Auditorio de Tenerife covers and significantly enhances a 2 hectare oceanfront site. The auditorium hosts opera, dance and classical-music performances, among others.
reviewed
-
L
Boulevard Boukhsissat
The picturesque buildings that line this street date from the period of the French Mandate. Cream-coloured and with brown-painted balconies, they were designed to provide housing on the 1st floor and shops on the ground floor, an arrangement that continues to this day.
reviewed
-
M
Hôtel Majestic
Fabulously ornate façades dot the city. Supreme examples include the Hôtel Majestic, a splendid almost-edible confection - currently closed for renovation though not a lot seems to be happening.
reviewed
-
N
Casa Infante de Sagres
The streets in the area around the port are lined with faded colonial-era buildings. One to watch for is the restored Casa Infante de Sagres, now the offices of Manica Shipping Company.
reviewed
-
Ponta Gêa
From Praça do Município, tree-lined streets lead south and east through the shady and charming Ponta Gêa residential area, which features some charming old houses.
reviewed
-
O
Town Hall
Tlemcen revolves around these twin squares, divided by rue de l'Independence. On the south side is the old colonial-era Town Hall (1843), opposite is the Grand Mosque.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
P
Dona Ana Hotel
At the northern end of town on the beach is the rambling, currently derelict and soon to be rehabilitated Dona Ana Hotel, built by tycoon-entrepreneur Joaquim Alves.
reviewed
-
Q
Opera House
Within staggering distance from the Governor's Palace, the Opera House, completed around 1920, is one of Asmara's most elegant early-20th-century buildings.
reviewed
-
R
Mini Town
Mini Town is a typically tacky model city with replicas of Durban's best-known buildings of the 1970s - best for the mini adults.
reviewed
-
S
City Hall
City Hall, now a sometime concert venue, is among the finest colonial-era buildings that is worth a look.
reviewed
-
T
French Embassy Building
Grand structures such as the French embassy, built in 1856, were designed for the colonial power to assert its authority.
reviewed