The Impact of Commercial Mutations on Historical Buildings in Algeria: Case of Colonial Quarters in The City of Annaba

Abstract

The commercial dynamics that the city of Annaba has experienced in recent decades, due to social and economic development and market liberalization, have changed its urban and architectural heritage. This city, located in north-eastern Algeria and created before the tenth century, has seen many civilizations and dynasties pass by. Every civilization has left behind traces that time has sometimes taken care of protecting them, to bequeath us or erasing them completely. This heritage wealth testifying and telling the story of our ancestors' past, unfortunately, began to lose its value and originality after the transformations and modifications that took place in the old residential buildings inherited from two opposing cultures by integrating new forms of commercial activities. The objective of this communication is to analyse and measure the evolution of these mutations, with a focus on the ancient colonial areas of the city of Annaba where the phenomenon is most pronounced.