Algeria has unveiled a massive mosque on its Mediterranean coastline following years of political turmoil that delayed its completion.
The mosque was inaugurated on Sunday by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Associated Press reports.
According to the AP, ‘the Great Mosque of Algiers’ was constructed by a Chinese construction company over the course of the 2010s.
The mosque is said to feature the tallest minaret globally, standing at 265 metres (869 feet).
It is reported to be the third-largest mosque globally, the largest in Africa, and the biggest outside Islam’s holiest cities, with a prayer room that can hold 120,000 people.
It also features a helicopter landing pad and a library capable of accommodating up to one million books.
In addition to its massive size, the mosque gained attention for the numerous delays and disputes that marked its seven-year construction period, particularly the selection of a site that experts cautioned was prone to seismic activity.
According to AP, the state refuted the claim in a statement released on Sunday on APS, the state news agency’s website.
The official cost of the project amounted to $898 million.
Former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika initiated the mosque project with the vision of making it the largest in Africa.
He envisioned it as his lasting contribution and wanted to name it “Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque,” similar to the Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco.
The Mosque Hassan II in Morocco, dedicated to the former King of Morocco, a neighbor and regional rival of Algeria, was previously promoted as the largest in Africa.
