The Sea Gate or Bab el Bhar (in Arabic: باب البحر), also known as the Golden Gate or Saracen Gate, is a historical monument in the city of Béjaïa in Algeria and one of the oldest preserved gates in the Maghreb. It was one of the six gates of the Bejaia wall, built between the mid and late 11th century by the Hammadids under the reign of the sovereign An-Nasir. As its name indicates, it was the maritime entrance to Béjaïa. Indeed, passing under its large arch, boats and small ships would enter the city’s port.
Architecture
This edifice adopts the construction techniques used by the Hammadids at the Kalâa of the Béni Hammad, namely: the broken arch shape that was not horseshoe-shaped, and the masonry of the wall made of alternating stones and brick courses. The broken arch consists of radiating brick courses resting on horizontal brick courses which themselves rest on two stone imposts. The gate is topped with a semicircular relieving arch, distributing the weight of the wall on either side of the broken arch.
Currently, a large part of the gate is buried, making it difficult to determine its height, but the opening was likely around 10 meters high and 6 meters wide.
Bab el Bhar facing the sea
The Sea Gate or Bab el Bhar (in Arabic: باب البحر), also known as the Golden Gate or Saracen Gate, is a historical monument in the city of Béjaïa in Algeria and one of the oldest preserved gates in the Maghreb. It was one of the six gates of the Bejaia wall, built between the mid and late 11th century by the Hammadids under the reign of the sovereign An-Nasir. As its name indicates, it was the maritime entrance to Béjaïa. Indeed, passing under its large arch, boats and small ships would enter the city’s port.
Architecture
This edifice adopts the construction techniques used by the Hammadids at the Kalâa of the Béni Hammad, namely: the broken arch shape that was not horseshoe-shaped, and the masonry of the wall made of alternating stones and brick courses. The broken arch consists of radiating brick courses resting on horizontal brick courses which themselves rest on two stone imposts. The gate is topped with a semicircular relieving arch, distributing the weight of the wall on either side of the broken arch.
Currently, a large part of the gate is buried, making it difficult to determine its height, but the opening was likely around 10 meters high and 6 meters wide.
Bab el Bhar facing the sea
