The mosque dates to about 1097, and a minbar inscription ties its construction to the reign of Yusuf ibn Tashfin. The Zayyanid sultan Abu Tashfin I of Tlemcen built the minaret in 1322. The article names no architect and calls it one of the few remaining examples of Almoravid architecture.
The prayer hall is 151 feet (46 m) wide and 125 feet (38 m) deep, with eleven aisles and horseshoe arches and a wider central aisle. An arcaded courtyard lies to the north. The minaret has indented niches, polylobed blind arches and blue-and-white ceramic tile panels. The article does not state its height.
French bombardments in 1682 and 1683 severely damaged the mosque, and the mihrab and qibla wall were rebuilt. A portico of polylobed arches was added in 1837 after the French realigned the street, reusing Italian marble columns from another mosque. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Casbah of Algiers. The article states no visiting rules.
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