Algeria opens the largest mosque in Africa
Africa's largest mosque, which holds 120,000 worshippers, opened in Algeria on Sunday.
The mosque has been opened after many years of construction stopped due to high costs. The mosque, which is known as Djamaa El-Djazair, is built with modern architecture in an area of 27.75 hectares (about 70 acres), and is said to be the third largest in the world after the two mosques in Mecca and Medina, the holiest places of Islam, in Saudi Arabia. Its auditorium can accommodate 120,000 people. The Grand Mosque of Algiers, built by a Chinese construction company in the 2010s, also has the tallest minaret in the world, with a height of 265 meters. Its modern design imitates Arab and North African architectural styles and honors traditions and cultures. of Algeria. The mosque has a library that can store up to 1 million books. Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune inaugurated the mosque, fulfilling his promise to open it with pride and good conditions. The mosque has been officially opened to the public in time due to the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims intensify their worship. Abdelaziz Bouteflika In addition to its size, the mosque is also known for delays and controversies involving the seven years that it was under construction, including the construction site, which experts warned is at risk of earthquakes. The government denied reports that the area is at risk of a devastating earthquake. The official cost of the project is 898 million dollars. The mosque was originally a project of the late former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who started its construction with the intention of making it the largest in Africa. He wanted it to be his legacy and named it the "Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque" like the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. The mosque, named after the former King of Morocco - Algeria's neighbor and regional rival - was once named the largest mosque in Africa. But the protests that hit Algeria in 2019 and made him resign after 20 years in power prevented Bouteflika from carrying out his ambition to give the mosque his name or launch it in February 2019 as planned.
