Algeria Inaugurates Africa Biggest Mosque

Algeria inaugurated Biggest mosque in Africa and 3rd largest in world.

Algeria unveiled on Sunday what it labeled as “Africa biggest mosque” and the third-Biggest mosque globally, after more than a decade of construction and preparation overshadowed by controversy.

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The Great Mosque of Algiers is being touted as the largest mosque in the world outside of Mecca and Medina, Islam’s holiest sites.

The development, which has been widely criticized, was planned by former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The Great Mosque of Algiers is located in the capital and features a minaret that is 265 meters (869 ft) tall and a spacious prayer space.

According to Algerian official media, the total facility has the capacity for around 120,000 worshippers.

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune launched the project on Sunday. The World Union of Muslim Ulemas’ General Secretary, Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi stated that the inauguration will guide Muslims “toward goodness and moderation.”

The launch coincides with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, during which worshippers customarily gather inside mosques to pray together.

Why is Mosque So Controversial?

The mosque was the brainchild of the late, ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was deposed in 2019 following protests.

Bouteflika hoped the mosque would be his legacy, akin to the Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, Algeria’s neighbor and regional adversary.

It was supposed to be inaugurated in February 2019, but protests that eventually prompted him to resign interrupted those preparations.

The mosque’s construction sparked widespread criticism, including concerns over its site, which experts warned was in an earthquake-prone area, as well as allegations of corruption.

The project’s official cost was $898 million (about €827).

The project was initiated in 2011 by a Chinese construction group and planned by Frankfurt-based architects KSP Engel. Engel’s website indicates that the development was completed in 2020.

It is being marketed as the third-biggest mosque worldwide, following the holy mosque in Mecca and the prophet’s mosque in Medina, both located in Saudi Arabia.

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