CASBAH

“Marseille, the Plaine district, market day. ‘The Casbah of Algiers, the Casbah of Algiers’. I hear the cry of elation – somewhere between joy and despair – from this man who is exulting. It reminds me of that project that is all too often sidelined; that cry calls out to me, it is addressed to me. So I went to Algiers to photograph the Casbah. I discovered a neighbourhood in constant motion, with passers-by and residents emerging from who knows where, heading who knows where, waiting for who knows what. I saw a place that was alive and captivating. A mythical, spellbinding place; I wanted to show it in my own way. I walked about, I met people, I asked them to pause for just a moment, to strike a pose, for a photograph. I couldn’t separate the city from its inhabitants.”

Excerpt from the text by Abed Adibat

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Casbah remains the soul of Algiers. A place of cultural resistance and Mediterranean beauty where memory, art and everyday life intertwine, this labyrinth of narrow alleyways, white houses and light-filled courtyards was for a long time a vibrant centre of craftsmanship and trade. A place steeped in history, it played a key role in the Algerian War of Independence, serving as a stronghold for the FLN during the Battle of Algiers in 1957.