Martyrs' Memorial (Maqam El Chahid)

The Martyrs' Memorial (Maqam El Chahid) is the most prominent landmark on the Algiers skyline — three 90-metre concrete palm fronds converging above an eternal flame, visible from almost every point in the city. It was built to honour the 1.5 million Algerians who died in the War of Independence.

The site includes the adjacent Mujahid Museum documenting the independence struggle. The views from the plaza surrounding the monument are excellent — you are on the ridge that runs along the back of the city, with the Casbah and colonial centre visible below and the Mediterranean beyond. Getting here on foot involves a serious uphill walk; the escalator from Place Audin makes it easy.

things to do landmark
A story
The memorial was inaugurated on 5 July 1982, exactly twenty years after Algerian independence. The three palm fronds represent the three main forces of the revolutionary army — the interior fighters, the exterior army, and the national navy. At the base stands a soldier, a farmer, and a worker — the three pillars of the post-independence state ideology.