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Algeria unveils Africa’s largest mosque after years of delay
Algeria has unveiled the largest mosque in Africa located on the country's Mediterranean coast after years of delays due to political upheaval.
The Great Mosque of Algiers, which is also the world’s third-largest mosque behind Islam’s holiest sites in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca and Medina was formally opened on February 25, by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Locally referred to as the Djamaa El-Djazair, the grand mosque which officially cost $898 million was constructed by a Chinese construction company in the 2010s, has the highest minaret in the world, standing at 265 metres (869 feet), and can hold 120,000 people, Arab News reports.
The mosque has been criticised for being nothing more than a vanity project for former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was compelled to step down in 2019 after 20 years in office. According to Aljazeera, Bouteflika had intended to inaugurate the mosque in February 2019 but was unable to do so due to widespread protests and the military's subsequent intervention in Algeria, which forced him to resign.
The mosque, which covers almost 70 acres of land, is said to have a helicopter landing pad and a library with room for one million books.
It has been open to foreign tourists and state visitors to Algeria for approximately five years and first opened for prayers in October 2020.
The mosque’s official opening allows it to host many public prayers and events ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which begins in March.
