Dar Mustapha Pacha (french: Palais Mustapha Pacha) is a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

palace, located in the Casbah of Algiers,

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

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. It houses the National Museum of Miniatures, Illumination and Calligraphy. It was built by the future Dey Mustapha Pacha between 1798 and 1799. The main entrance to the palace is situated at No. 12 Ahmad and Muhammad Mecheri Street, under a projecting roof terrace which is bordered by rows of Roman tiles. The main door opens onto a ''sqifa'' (entrance hall), which leads to the main

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

of the palace. The courtyard is sheltered with groined vaults and is dispersed with decorative niches which form window-seat benches. There is also a second entrance hall which is overlooked by two marble-framed doors; this connects the main ''sqifa'' used by visitors to enter the interior courtyard. The centre of the residential quarters is surrounded by galleries and supported by arches which rest on marble columns and are distinguished by decorative tiles. The ceilings are supported by wooden beams which cover the galleries on the ground floor and the first floor of the palace.

References

{{coord, 36.78566, 3.06084, format=dms, type:landmark_region:DZ, display=title Casbah of Algiers Museums in Algiers Palaces in Algeria Buildings and structures completed in 1799 1799 establishments in Africa Ottoman architecture in Algeria 18th-century architecture in Algeria

See also

References