Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune inaugurated on Sunday a huge mosque on the Mediterranean coast, which is the third largest mosque in the world and the largest mosque in Africa.
Its modern design includes Arabic and North African motifs in honor of Algerian traditions and culture, as well as a helipad and a library that can accommodate up to a million books.
The “Great Mosque of Algiers”, built by a Chinese construction company during the second decade of the current century, is distinguished by its tallest minaret in the world, with a height of 256 meters.
Ali Mohammad Salabi, secretary general of the World Union of Muslim scholars, said that the opening will guide Muslims “to goodness and moderation”.
The celebration is mainly honorable, as the doors of the mosque have been open to international tourists and state visitors for almost 5 years, while an earlier opening ceremony was postponed.
The timing of the opening allows the mosque to officially open to the public in time to host Taraweeh prayers during the month of Ramadan, which begins next month.
It is noteworthy that the mosque was originally a project of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who designed it to be the largest in Africa, as he wanted it to be his legacy, and called it the “Abdelaziz Bouteflika mosque”, to greatly resemble the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco.
