قصر الرياس - مركز الفنون والثقافة

In the waterfront district of Algiers, at a site known as Qa’a Es-Sour, an artillery battery (Tabana) was constructed in 1576 by Mami Arnaout, one of the renowned captains (Raïs) of the Algerian navy at the time, under the orders of Ramadan Pasha. Its purpose was to strengthen the city’s defensive system and protect its northwestern side from any naval invasion or attack. The battery consisted of four cannons aligned along the rampart and directed toward the sea, making it a key element in reinforcing the city’s fortifications.

Today, the district of Qa’a Es-Sour, which is home to the Palais des Raïs (Bastion 23), stands as the only surviving witness to the urban expansion of the Casbah of Algiers toward the sea. It reflects an important aspect of the city’s maritime and military history during the Ottoman period.

The district comprises three palaces—Palace 17, Palace 18, and Palace 23—as well as open spaces, covered passageways (sabat), the cannon battery, sailors’ houses, the Qa’a Es-Sour Mosque, and the patrol route.