ALGIERS- Algerian Minister of Culture and Arts, Zouhir Ballalou, said on Sunday in Algiers that the State attaches “a great interest” in the Casbah of Algiers, including Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who is making sure that this ancient city is valued as a cultural, tourist and social monument.
In a statement to APS during his visit to the Center for Arts and Culture at the Raïs Palace (Bastion 23), on the occasion of the celebration of the National Day of the Casbah, observed on February 23 each year, Ballalou said that “the Casbah of Algiers has been receiving significant attention, particularly since the President’s visit to the Moufdi-Zakaria Palace of Culture last December.
During this visit, after attending a presentation on the strategic vision for the development and modernization of the capital, the President expressed his interest and commitment to transforming the Casbah into a hub of cultural, tourist, and social vibrancy.”
The Casbah is now a vast restoration site for its cultural heritage, including its palaces, civil, religious, and defensive monuments, the minister added.
He emphasized the importance of the ongoing permanent plan for the preservation and enhancement of the safeguarded sector of the Casbah of Algiers, which aims to integrate “sociocultural activities into the development dynamic” as a civilizational and cultural foundation that generates wealth.
He also stressed the importance of involving citizens in the rehabilitation of the ancient city, which was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1992, as well as in the restoration efforts of buildings within this safeguarded sector.
The restoration and rehabilitation of the Casbah must be carried out rigorously and sustainably, he added.
On the occasion of the National Day of the Casbah, the Center for Arts and Culture at Raïs Palace (Bastion 23) hosted various cultural and intellectual activities, in addition to the opening of an academic exhibition showcasing the main civil, religious, and defensive monuments from different historical periods.
