In a significant development, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday, February 25, officially inaugurated the Grand Mosque of Algiers on its Mediterranean coastline after years of delay amid political turmoil.
It is considered the biggest mosque in Africa and third largest in the world after the Grand Mosque in Makkah and Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Known locally as the Djamaa El-Djazair, the modernist structure extends across 27.75 hectares (almost 70 acres). It also features the world’s tallest minaret at 265 metres (869 feet) and can accommodate 120,000 worshippers.
It consists of 43 floors, 15 of which were allocated as space to house a museum related to the history of Algeria, and 10 floors as a research center, in addition to commercial shops.
The mosque, adorned with marble pillars and a large mihrab, showcases authentic Algerian decoration, showcasing the beauty of the region.
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The prayer hall, spanning 20,000 square meters, and mosque walls were adorned with Arabic calligraphy over a 6 km stretch, with engineering design based on anti-seismic standards.
The mosque features a landing helicopter space, car park that can accommodate 4,000 cars, and a large courtyard surrounded by gardens and ponds on the lower floor.
It is reportedly cost close to 900 million dollars to build and was constructed by a Chinese firm.
The construction of the “Algiers Mosque” began in 2013 during the era of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He wanted it to be his legacy, and he named it “Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque.”
Algerian protests in 2019 led to Bouteflika’s resignation, preventing him from naming the mosque after him or opening it as scheduled.
The mosque, whose construction was completed five years ago, only opened for daily prayers in October 2020 and did not host large group prayers due to inadequate external environment preparation.
The years of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the mosque’s entry into service, due to the ban on gatherings, but with this inauguration, the mosque will operate continuously and is expected to gather large numbers of worshippers during the upcoming holy month of Ramzan.
