Title of Exhibition: “Earthen and Clay Architecture”

Context of the Event: “Tlemcen, Capital of Islamic Culture 2011”

Place and Date: Exhibition Centre, El Koudia, Tlemcen, from 19th November 2011 to 14th January 2012.

Open to Public: Saturday to Thursday. From 10:00 to 18:00.

More Information This exhibition is dedicated to Architectures made of Earth. It shall highlight the universality of these architectures, their diversity and ability to meet the most modern standards of comfort, livability and durability.
Its main objective is to introduce earthen and clay architecture to the public and make him aware of the importance of Algerian earthen building heritage as well as the necessity to preserve it.
The Earth, the most abundant building material in the world, has been used in construction since very ancient times.
There are numerous forms of earthen construction. They vary according to the available kind of earth material and, as a result, give birth to a great diversity of architectures, reflecting the identity and culture of people who made them. These architectures are called “Earthen Architectures”.
Earthen architectures are not, as many may tend to believe, an African or underdeveloped world feature. They have been and are still present in every region of the world. From Europe to Asia, from Africa to America, an important heritage of earthen buildings that guards the memory of the golden age of these architectures. Even if we all know that a city like Timbuktu in Mali is built of earthen material, most of us ignore that important parts of the Alhambra or the Great Wall of China are too.
Who among us knows that the first high-rise buildings in the History of Mankind were built of Earth at the city of Shibam, in Yemen, unjustly nicknamed “Manhattan of the Desert”?
Who among us knows that since the eighties, a renewed global interest in earth constructions, driven from Africa by Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy, occurred in all continents?
Who among knows that this vast modernization movement of earthen architecture, mainly extending to the Western World, started from the most modern country in the world, the United States of America?
Who among us knows that these architectures are now, more than any other, rooted in the contemporary vision of progress, and that is why after having been considered poor architectures; they have today favor of the rich?
Probably, very few of us know… This exhibition is a humble contribution trying to highlight these timeless architectures, fascinating with their beauty and ingenuity and yet unknown.