Image: DamascusabdulKader

Description: Photograph of Abdul Qadir Al-Jazairi, wearing the sash of the Legion d'Honneur presented to him by the French Government,photographed by Mayer & Pierson, [photographes De S.M.L'Empereur ] Paris 1850's.The Algerian Prince was born in 1807 to Abdul Qadir Muhyidin, he was captured by the French in 1847,following years of struggle against their Algerian occupation.Pardoned by the Emperor Napoleon III,and exiled with a pension and hundreds of his Magharebe [Algerian ] followers to Damascus in 1852.They resided in the Bab al-Faradis area, along the river,[ his house still standing ].He was decorated by Queen Victoria, and European Heads of States for his role in protecting their Consuls and citizens during the 1860's events. Abdul Qadir was the most sought after celebrity by the European travelers to Damascus,especially the British,and was photographed by Bonfils. .He was buried in Muhyidin Mosque [ his father's namesake, and the burial site of his Sufi master al-Arabi ] in Damascus in 1883. His remains were returned to Independent Algeria in the 1960's.
Usage Terms: Public domain