Ketchaoua mosque restoration: Algeria Turkey sign MoU

The Ministry of Housing, Town Planning and the City signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Turkish Agency for Cooperation and coordination on the restoration of Ketchaoua mosque in Algiers. Under this agreement, the Turkish agency will support all phases of the restoration operation, from studies of the project to its delivery, without any expense for the state, Minister of Housing, Town Planning and the City Abdelmajid Tebboune said. This will allow the Algerian side to take advantage of the Turkish experience in restoration of mosques as a pioneer actor in the preservation of such historical sites, Tebboune said during the agreement’s signing ceremony. Experts appointed by the Ministry of Culture will be granted, free of charge, a supervised training by the Turkish Agency for restoration. An Algerian cell specialized in the restoration will be then created by experts trained to support the restoration of such sites. With regards to reason for choosing the Ketchaoua mosque, the minister said that "restoration of this architectural jewel" has "a great importance" given its historical dimension, while stressing the commitment of the Turkish side to this project shows "the depth of relations" between the two countries. President of the Turkish delegation, Cihat Bagdat, said for his part that the project will be achieved as part of a work between Algerian and Turkish experts in order to preserve the authenticity of this architectural masterpiece. He felt that this agreement marks the beginning of a fruitful cooperation between the two countries in the field historical sites restoration and the preservation of the common human heritage. It will also allow the exchange experiences between Algeria and Turkey in this area through joint restoration operations in other countries, Bagdat said. The Turkish Agency will hold soon a series of meetings with the Algerian party to discuss various aspects of the project, including the selection of the consulting firm, the launch date of the project and deadlines.