Algeria inaugurated the "largest mosque in Africa" and the third largest mosque in the world after more than a decade of construction and preparation, marred by controversy. DW writes about it, UNN reports .
Details
The largest mosque in Algeria is located in the capital, with a 265-meter-high minaret. Algerian state media report that the entire facility can accommodate more than 120 thousand worshippers.
The opening time comes on the eve of the Muslim month of Ramadan, when believers traditionally gather together to pray in mosques.
Why is the mosque controversial?
The mosque was the brainchild of the late ousted President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was ousted after protests in 2019. Bouteflika wanted the mosque to be his legacy, similar to the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco, neighboring Algeria and regional rival.
It was scheduled to open in February 2019, but protests that eventually forced his resignation halted those plans.
The construction of the mosque caused widespread controversy, amid criticism of the choice of its location, which experts warned was in a rather earthquake-prone area, and suspicions of corruption.
The official cost of the project was $898 million.
The project was launched in 2011 by a Chinese construction company and designed by Frankfurt-based architects KSP Engel.
It is touted as the third largest mosque in the world after the Holy Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, both located in Saudi Arabia.