"Reflections on the vernacular mosques of the Souf region in Algeria. : Towards an inventory of the local architectural language"

The architectural design of mosques has evolved and been interpreted withinvarious Islamic countries, influenced by diverse local contexts and specificcircumstances. This article investigates the vernacular mosques in the Souf region,located in the southeast of Algeria. The study aims to reveal the local architecturallanguage used in these mosques in order to develop an inventory of vernacularmosques. The investigation employs a hybrid approach, combining historicalresearch methods, morphological analysis, and typology. The tools and techniquesof data collection were based mainly on architectural surveys, in-situ observations,and non-directive interviews with the local inhabitants (testimonies). The findingsconfirmed that although the architecture of the vernacular mosques of the Soufrespects the archetype of the Arab mosque and expresses a vernacular styleparticular to the region. However, their three-dimensional morphology presentsa specific silhouette that is not found elsewhere in Algeria. These mosques aredistinguished by their staircase minaret and raised dome (on a double tambour),which often dominates the mosques by their height and monumentality.