Historic sights in Africa
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Dar Hassan Pacha
The building beside the Ketchoua Mosque was once the city's grandest mansions and carries the name of its original owner, Dar Hassan Pacha. Hassan was the ruler or Dey of Algiers, a man with a sense of purpose - in 1795 he concluded a peace treaty with the fledgling United States of America guaranteeing their ships safe passage in Algiers' waters. Before that, around 1791, he began his palace on the edge of the Casbah, but away from the waterside, which was vulnerable and damp in winter. When Algiers fell to the French the house was turned into the governor's winter residence. Its facade was remodelled, and unlike most large houses here the Dar Hassan Pacha was given a…
reviewed
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B
Maynardville Park
Maynardville Park was once the estate of Victorian property magnate James Maynard. His 1870s mansion was demolished when the city took over the grounds in the 1950s, but the old swimming pool remains as a pond and the archery lawn has been replaced by the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre.
reviewed
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Dar Aziza Bent el-Bey
Aziza may have been a bent (daughter) of the bey of Constantine, who built the sumptuous Dar Aziza for her. In contrast to Dar Hassan Pacha, immediately opposite, its whitewashed façade has smaller windows – a less impressive face to the world. Inside, however, this was one of the most gorgeous of Algiers’ grand houses, which was built beside – and perhaps at one time part of – the Jenina, the old palace of the deys, since demolished. Dar Aziza is currently the office of the National Archaeology Agency and is closed to visitors, although there are occasional exhibitions.
reviewed
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C
Grande Poste
A post office might not be high on everyone’s list of things to see, but Grande Poste, completed in 1908 after eight years of construction, is a classic piece of French-inspired hispano-Moorish architecture and is worth a brief visit, even if you don’t need stamps or a phone card. One of the world’s most elaborate post boxes is near the entrance, while the façade carries the names of Algeria’s principal towns and cities.
reviewed