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Great Synagogue of Oran, Algeria

Description

Stylistic Information: When it was completed in 1880, the Great Synagogue was considered to be the largest one in North Africa. Since the beginning of its history, the synagogue’s two slender towers mark the building as a reflection on the Islamic architecture of minarets. Other features related to Arabic art and architecture include the numerous cupolas, curved arches, and interlaced designs. This seemingly counter-intuitive feature has its roots in a colonial French tendency to encourage for more Arabic features on public buildings. Promoted by Governor Jonnart since 1905, the neo-Moorish style emphasized Arabization. Its goal was to better conciliate the natives and the French colonizers.i Other scholars consider that the emphasis on neo-Moorish styles in synagogues perpetuate the divide between Jews and Europeans and hence serve to lower the status of the Jews.ii However, when one considers that the post office of Alger and the train station in Oran, which symbolize France, are also in neo-Moorish style, the argument that neo-Moorish architecture typifies the inferiority of the Jews may be argued to be invalid. Indeed, the Great Synagogue of Oran, due to its symmetry with the Protestant church of Oran, points out how Jews shifted to become more associated to Europeans, contrary to Muslims. iii Since 1830, Algerian religious properties were placed under the supervision of France. While synagogues were not directly affected by this law, French supervision was still significant to some degree. For example, through the set-up of the Algerian “Consistoire”, a centralized Jewish federation which was similar to the one put forth in metropolitan France, financial resources were granted according to French preference.iv Hence, choosing a style promoted by the French governor may have been necessary to build the synagogue.

Description of the Interior: Once one steps inside, one realizes that this outstandingly grand synagogue has a basilican plan composed of a central nave, and two side aisles. The prayer room is divided into two stories while a niche indicates the direction of Jerusalem.v

Transformation of Worship: This synagogue was transformed into a mosque in 1972 by the newly independent Algerian state. For elder Muslim believers who pray in this mosque, the transformation of this synagogue into a mosque highlights the supremacy of the Muslim religion. The name of the mosque, Abdallah ben Salem, symbolizes this transformation since it is the name of a wealthy Jew who converted to Islam. While the niche remained unchanged, several features were adapted to fulfill the transformation of the synagogue into a mosque. For instance, in the prayer room, primarily for structural reasons, a dividing wall was installed along with a mihrab, which is a niche indicating the direction of Mecca. The pulpit from which the rabbi used to speak was altered into a minbar, which serves a similar purpose. Stylistically, this transformation translates itself by the addition of a crescent and flutes.vi

Oran, Algeria

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