PALACE OF RAÏS - CENTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE

A rare vestige of the Ottoman extension of the Casbah to the sea, the Palais des Raïs is a complex of three palaces (17, 18 and 23) and six douérate (fishermen's houses) built on the site of a ^16th-century fort.

History. Palace 18, which is of the greatest architectural interest, is believed to have been built in the second half of the ^18th century by the Raïs Arnaout Mami, then acquired in 1798 by the dey Mustapha Pacha.

At the beginning of the French occupation, the palace became the residence of the rear-admiral in charge of managing the port, then later the American consulate, a boarding school for young girls, the residence of the Duc d'Aumale and, finally, the municipal library, before being abandoned, looted and squatted by Algerian families after 1962. Saved from imminent destruction, the palace was restored and since 1994 has been home to the Centre des arts et de la culture, which organizes temporary exhibitions, museum activities and shows on the "batterie" (red terrace) overlooking the sea.

Visit. You can start with Palais 18, which you enter through the vestibule(sqifa), where a number of panels present the history of the Lower Kasbah and its evolution.

The tour continues through the patio(wast eddar), galleries(shine), rooms(byoutes on the first floor and ghrofs upstairs), bathroom(hammam), kitchen(khiama) and terrace(menzah). The decorative elements: arches, marble columns, wooden doors, tiles and ceilings are representative of Moorish art. In Les byoutes et ghrofs, photos of the Casbah's most emblematic landmarks are on display, as are reproductions of everyday scenes and traditional Ottoman clothing, as well as models of typical old town housing complexes. The more modest Palaces 17 and 23, once used as servants' quarters, now regularly host fine exhibitions by Algerian and foreign artists (photographers, visual artists, painters, etc.). You'll discover the douérate by taking the sabat (covered passageway). Harmoniously aligned, they were the homes of sailors and fishermen.

Although poorly restored according to some specialists, the Palais des Raïs offers the public an overview of a vast urban complex from the Ottoman era, and reveals many original features, such as the magnificent carved wooden ceilings.